La Liga champions Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing 22-year-old Argentine midfielder Alan Varela from FC Porto.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Alan Varela is the subject of interest from Barcelona. The reigning La Liga champions are scouring the market for a midfielder heading into the January transfer window. But a deal for the 22-year-old might be tough to execute for the Blaugrana.
Alan Varela has gone under the radar in his burgeoning career thus far. A graduate of the Boca Juniors Academy, the Argentine midfielder spent over a decade at Estadio Alberto J. Armando. He made his first-team debut as a 19-year-old in 2020 and subsequently grew in stature at the club.
The 22-year-old was a regular for Boca Juniors in the last two seasons before moving to Europe this past summer. FC Porto snapped Varela up in a deal worth €8 million, and he has hit the ground running. The youngster has turned out seven times thus far for Porto, managing nearly 500 minutes of game time.
Premier League clubs were interested in Varela before he joined FC Porto. Liverpool and Newcastle United scouted the young midfielder but did not follow up with bids. It is unclear if English outfits are still keen on signing Varela. But Barcelona will look to prise him away from Estadio do Dragao.
The reigning La Liga champions are scouring the market for a holding midfielder heading into the January transfer window. Barcelona bolstered the midfield unit in the summer transfer window by signing Oriol Romeu and Ilkay Gundogan. But both players are on the wrong side of 30 and will be short-term solutions.
So, it behoves Barcelona to invest in a younger midfielder in one of the two transfer windows in 2024. Recent reports have suggested that Barcelona will prioritise bolstering the midfield in the winter. Alan Varela is thus a viable target for the Blaugrana.
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But a move in the January transfer window might be out of the question unless the player pushes for a transfer. It is not impossible, considering Enzo Fernandez left Benfica to join Chelsea only six months after arriving in Portugal. But Barcelona might be better served waiting until the summer to launch the offensive for the 22-year-old Argentine midfielder.
