Barcelona have reportedly set a price tag on out-of-favour striker Paco Alcacer, who is edging closer to a move away from the Nou Camp in the summer.
As per a report in Spanish publication Don Balon, the 24-year-old striker is set to be offloaded in the summer and any potential suitors will have to part with €30 million, the exact same amount that the Catalan giants paid Valencia in 2016 to bring him to the Nou Camp.
In nearly two full seasons with Barcelona, Alcacer has scored 15 goals and provided 8 assists in only 47 appearances across all competitions and the Spanish international reportedly wants to leave the club in search of more minutes, with the club also willing to sell.
His time at the Nou Camp has largely been spent on the bench. He was never going to be able to displace Neymar, Lionel Messi or Luis Suarez from the starting lineup in his first season at the club and a bad spell in front of goal didn’t help. As a result, he was restricted to only 28 appearances the entire campaign.
Neymar’s departure in the summer was expected to help him make a stronger push in the Barcelona first-team setup, but Ernesto Valverde’s insistence on using a 4-4-2 formation has made it extremely difficult for Alcacer to get into the squad, despite showing some good form early on in the campaign.
As a result, he has made 20 appearances this season, scoring 7 goals and providing 4 assists. However, Luis Suarez picked up him form around the middle of the season and a muscle injury he picked up hasn’t helped his cause either.
Now Ousmane Dembele has also returned from injury and the arrival of Philippe Coutinho in January has made competition for places in the starting lineup even more intense, and perhaps a move away from Barcelona seems like the best step to take at this point in his career.
At only 24, Alcacer has the time and talent to resurrect his career. He can play anywhere in a front three, is quick and clinical in front of goal. He should have no shortage of suitors and the €30 million price tag set by Barcelona seems reasonable in such a ridiculously inflated transfer market.
