Barcelona are reportedly considering making a move for Jose Gaya in the January transfer window as he is in the final year of his contract with Valencia.
According to Futbol Total, Barcelona have their sights back on Valencia defender Jose Gaya, who has been a long-term subject of interest for them. The Catalans are considering a January swoop for the left-back as he would be in the final six months of his contract.
Gaya has been one of the best-performing left-backs in Spain for years now and has been one of Valencia’s top players in recent seasons during a phase when the club have been on a decline. However, the 27-year-old has entered the final year of his contract with Los Che, which has led to him getting heavily linked with an exit.
Gaya has been on the radars of Barcelona for years now, as a potential long-term replacement for Jordi Alba. The Blaugrana had been credited with an interest in him heading into this summer as well. However, they have turned their focus towards Marcos Alonso as they believe the Chelsea ace would be available for a lower price.
But, Barcelona’s move for Alonso has stalled of late, forcing them to look at other options. The Catalans have been linked with Caio Henrique of AS Monaco, while Tottenham star Sergio Reguilon has also emerged as a surprise target. At the same time, they are now considering revisiting their interest in Gaya.
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As iterated earlier, the Valencia captain is in the final year of his contract. And as per the report, Barcelona believe he could cost less than €10 million in the January transfer window and are thus considering signing him up in early 2023.
It would mean that Barcelona would have to go through the first half of the campaign with Alba as the only senior left-back option. However, manager Xavi Hernandez can call upon youngsters like Alejandro Balde and Mika Marmol to fill in if required. Sergino Dest could also do the job, having been deployed in the position on occasions in 2021/22.
Waiting until January to sign Gaya in a cut-price deal would be a shrewd move for Barcelona, who have already splashed a lot of cash in the market and are likely to face problems registering all their new signings. Whether such a move materialises or they decide to bring in a left-back before the summer window closes will be interesting to see.
