Barcelona might sign a goalkeeper in the summer transfer window, with Alban Lafont reportedly one of the players on their radar.
According to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Alban Lafont is the subject of interest from Barcelona over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The Catalan giants could be forced to enter the market for a goalkeeper as Neto will likely depart Camp Nou after the ongoing campaign ends.
Alban Lafont has long been regarded as one of the best young goalkeepers in Europe, having first burst onto the limelight when he became the youngest ever goalkeeper to play in Ligue 1 at the age of 16 years and 310 days in November 2015. Since then, the 23-year-old has gone from strength to strength, even spending a year in Italy with Fiorentina before returning to France by joining Nantes.
To date, the French goalkeeper has made 92 appearances for the Ligue 1 club, keeping 21 clean sheets in the process. Lafont’s progress in the last six years has been noticed by one of the biggest clubs in Europe, with Barcelona weighing up the prospect of signing the Nantes goalkeeper.
Barcelona will lose the services of Neto in the summer transfer window, with the Brazilian shot-stopper keen on embarking on a new adventure heading into the 2022/23 season. The 32-year-old has failed to usurp Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the first-team setup at Camp Nou since arriving from Valencia in 2019.
With Neto wishing to secure regular game-time, a summer departure from Barcelona is likely, leaving ter Stegen as the only recognised goalkeeper at Xavi Hernandez’s disposal. While Inaki Pena is primed for big things, he could benefit from another loan spell after returning from Galatasaray, who he joined on loan in January, instead of becoming ter Stegen’s new backup.
Barcelona might thus have to enter the market for a goalkeeper in the summer transfer window. With that in mind, the Catalan giants have drawn up a five-man shortlist to pursue if they decide to sign a shot-stopper, with Lafont one of the options on their radar.
But at 23, Lafont should ideally play for a team that will offer him regular game-time instead of joining a club like Barcelona. Apart from the French goalkeeper, Illan Meslier, Yassine Bounou, Maarten Vandevoordt, and Bartlomiej Dragowski are also on Barcelona’s radar, so it will be interesting to see which shot-stopper the Blaugrana prefer in the summer.
