Manchester City and Bayern Munich are reportedly closely monitoring the situation of Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig, whose contract expires at the end of the season.
According to a report by Fichajes, Barcelona could have a real battle on their hands as they look to keep hold of Riqui Puig’s services. The young midfielder’s contract at Camp Nou expires at the end of the season, thus alerting European giants like Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
In fact, Puig is one of three players alongside Lionel Messi and Oscar Mingueza, whose contracts will soon expire. Although Barcelona are fully intent on renewing the contract of Puig, they do acknowledge that things could be tougher than expected given the youngster’s lack of game-time in the first-team.
Puig’s rocky relationship with Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman could also be a key factor in convincing him to move elsewhere in the summer. It could be a massive revelation in the transfer market as the 21-year-old is considered as one of the best young midfielders in world football, despite his lack of chances at the Nou Camp.
For Barcelona, the potential departure of Puig could be a major blow, especially from a sporting perspective. The club has already appeared quite over-reliant on ageing midfielders in recent weeks and still operate with the likes of Miralem Pjanic and Sergio Busquets in the current roster. In addition, they have a dearth of reliable long-term options in the middle of the park aside from Frenkie de Jong, who has also b and Carles Alena.
The absence of someone like Puig, in that regard, should once again force the Blaugrana to go through yet another transitional phase. They have already been rumoured to be entertaining the idea of offloading players like Philippe Coutinho, so any further departures will surely make things difficult for the new management.
As for Manchester City, the possibility of signing Puig next season appears like an excellent opportunity for Pep Guardiola to reinforce his midfield department, which has lacked consistency this season. In that regard, the youngster can not only add some healthy competition but also emerge as a long-term replacement for his compatriot David Silva.
However, the Premier League giants will have to brace themselves for stiff competition from Bayern. The European champions could be looking for a new midfielder following the departure of Thiago to Liverpool while Marc Roca has had a slow start to his career in Germany – giving Hansi Flick an ideal excuse to go after the Barcelona midfielder. It remains to be seen what the future has in store for Puig.
