La Liga heavyweights Barcelona have reportedly turned their attention towards 23-year-old Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu.
According to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Mohammed Salisu is the subject of interest from Barcelona over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The 23-year-old Southampton defender is a part of a five-man shortlist of centre-back candidates the Catalan giants could pursue ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Mohammed Salisu has made rapid strides since joining Southampton from Real Valladolid in August 2020. The Ghanaian defender struggled in his debut campaign in the Premier League as Ralph Hasenhuttl looked to ease him into a regular starter for the Saints. But Salisu has stepped up superbly this season.
The 23-year-old has turned out 50 times for Southampton thus far, chipping in with one goal along the way. And Salisu’s exploits this term have not gone unnoticed, with one of the biggest clubs in Europe – Barcelona – setting sights on him and closely monitoring his progress in the Premier League.
The Catalan giants are on the verge of signing one centre-back in Andreas Christensen in the summer transfer window. But Barcelona will not stop after securing the services of the Chelsea star and will pursue another central defender ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Barcelona’s stance is hardly surprising, considering Gerard Pique is in the twilight of his career. At the same time, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet and Oscar Mingueza face uncertain futures at Camp Nou, with Barcelona reportedly deeming the trio surplus to requirements.
Barcelona will thus need to bring in a centre-back who can compete with Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia and Christensen. Salisu, to that end, is a viable target for Barcelona, especially considering he has prior experience of playing in La Liga before joining Southampton nearly two years ago.
Apart from Salisu, Matthijs de Ligt, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Torres, and Jules Kounde are also on Barcelona’s radar heading into the summer transfer window. That Salisu is left-footed will make him a natural replacement for Umtiti and Lenglet, who could end up moving away from Camp Nou ahead of the 2022/23 season. But the duration of his Southampton contract could make the 23-year-old an expensive acquisition.
