Barcelona midfield prospect Riqui Puig has emerged as a transfer target for Valencia, with incoming manager Gennaro Gattuso keen on signing him.
According to SPORT, Valencia are keen on raiding Barcelona in the summer transfer window for the signing of midfielder Riqui Puig, who has been identified as a key target by incoming manager Gennaro Gattuso.
Puig is a product of the Barcelona youth setup and broke into the senior team in 2018. Touted as one of the brightest prospects to have come out of La Masia, the midfielder has failed to kick on at the senior level. The 22-year-old has featured just 57 times so far for Barcelona, scoring two goals and setting up three more.
Puig has struggled for game-time over the past couple of seasons at Camp Nou. The Spanish midfielder was out of favour under Ronald Koeman, while his fortunes have hardly improved since Xavi Hernandez took over the reins.
With Barcelona hoping to offload players this summer, Puig is one of the stars who could be shown the exit door before the upcoming campaign. The 22-year-old is attracting interest from Celta Vigo, with now Valencia also emerging as a potential destination for the Barça midfielder.
Valencia are set for major changes at the club, with Anil Murthy being relieved from the duties of club president while Jose Bordalas is no longer the manager. Instead, Los Che owner Peter Lim is appointing Gennaro Gattuso as the next head coach, with super-agent Jorge Mendes helping in arranging the deal.
Gattuso is already in Singapore to complete the contract signing and is soon expected to take over the reins at the Mestalla. And the Italian manager has identified Puig as one of his priority targets heading into the summer window.
Valencia are staring at the prospect of losing star midfielder Carlos Soler this summer, with the Spanish international emerging as a target for Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. And if Los Che academy product moves on, they will need a new midfielder to fill in for him. Even if Soler stays put, Valencia could do with adding more quality to their midfield unit.
Puig, to that end, has emerged as a viable target. The 22-year-old is open to the idea of leaving Barcelona, knowing that his situation is unlikely to improve. Only time will tell if a move to Valencia materialises in the summer.
