Barcelona will reportedly compete with Serie A giants AS Roma for Azzedine Ounahi, one of the top performers at the World Cup.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Azzedine Ounahi has popped up on the radar of AS Roma. The Serie A giants have joined Barcelona in the race to sign the 22-year-old midfielder, who has been one of the top performers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, from Angers SCO.
Azzedine Ounahi has been in Europe for nearly half a decade. But he has gone under the radar for much of his professional career, considering he has played for lowly French clubs. However, all that has changed during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The 22-year-old has been one of the breakout stars in Qatar due to his performances for Morocco. And while the Atlas Lions bowed out during the semi-finals, the youngster, who has turned out 47 times for Angers, has attracted enough suitors. Barcelona and AS Roma are two of the clubs that are keen on signing Ounahi.
Barcelona will enter the market for a defensive-minded midfielder next year amid uncertainties surrounding Sergio Busquets’s future. The Barcelona captain is considering his future at Spotify Camp Nou and might leave in the summer. Ounahi has thus emerged as a viable target for the Blaugrana.
While the 22-year-old will not be a like-for-like replacement for Busquets, he will be a handy addition to the Barcelona squad. But the Catalan giants face stiff competition from AS Roma in the race to sign Morocco’s top World Cup performer.
Jose Mourinho is reportedly keen on getting in a midfield reinforcement at AS Roma. And the Serie A giants have recently shown interest in Real Madrid veteran Luka Modric. But Ounahi might be an option worth considering amid Georginio Wijnaldum’s absence through injury.
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Angers SCO might not stand in the way if Barcelona and AS Roma present offers, with president Said Chabane recently admitting that they will find it difficult to keep him at the club. So it will be interesting to see if the two European bigwigs table bids to sign the 22-year-old.
