La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are reportedly weighing up signing 21-year-old Belgian midfielder Nicolas Raskin in January.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Nicolas Raskin is the subject of interest from FC Barcelona. The Catalan giants are considering signing the 21-year-old Standard Liege midfielder in the January transfer window. And he might be available for just €5 million.
Nicolas Raskin is not a household name beyond his homeland. The young Belgian midfielder spent his formative years at FC Stade Waremmien, Standard Liege and Anderlecht. But after graduating from the Anderlecht academy, he joined Gent before returning to Standard Liege in January 2019.
Since then, the 21-year-old has made gradual progress and is now a regular for Standard Liege. The player has turned out 18 times thus far this season, chipping in with one goal and four assists. But Raskin is in the final year of his contract with Standard Liege, with his situation capturing the attention of FC Barcelona.
Joan Laporta has said that Barcelona will unlikely complete signings in the January transfer window. With the FFP rules in La Liga blocking the Blaugrana from improving the first-team squad this winter, signing Raskin might not be feasible. But Barcelona can probably bring in players by selling a few.
Memphis Depay is the leading candidate, with Barcelona reportedly ready to offload the wantaway Dutch attacker. Meanwhile, recent reports have linked Franck Kessie with a departure, although that is unlikely. But Raskin might become a viable target if one of the players leaves in the January transfer window.
The 21-year-old Belgian midfielder will not cost a bomb either, as he is in the final year of his deal with Standard Liege. So Raskin fits in the profile of players the Catalan giants have targeted during their financial crisis. And according to Fichajes, Barcelona can sign the youngster for just €5 million.
It will be interesting to see if Barcelona can free up wages and balance the books in the January transfer window. If not, they will have to shelve the plans to sign Raskin until the summer, when he will be a free agent.
