December 16, (THEWILL) –Â Barcelona is in talks to bring Inter forward Alexis Sanchez back to the club, while forward Luuk de Jong is on his way out. De Jong, currently on a Ronald Koeman-approved season-long loan from Sevilla, has fallen out of favour with Xavi, and talks about cutting his loan short have been held.
The snag in the move is that Sevilla do not want De Jong back at the moment. Therefore, the Catalan team has come up with a plan to send him on loan to Inter for the rest of the season as part of a deal that will see Inter send Sanchez back to Barcelona on a six-month loan.
Inter is said to be interested and all that is needed now is Xavi’s approval. The Barca manager really wants to sign a new striker, but he also wants the candidate to be able to play on the wing, as Memphis Depay is expected to return from injury in the central role.
This is a profile that Sanchez meets and as one who understands the Catalan club from his time with Barca in La Liga, Sanchez more than meets the description.
The 32-year-old Chilean has been used primarily as a backup striker for Inter this season, making only two starts in Serie A, but he earned his reputation on the wing and impressed during his initial term with Barcelona.
Sanchez scored 46 goals and added 41 assists in 141 appearances for the Blaugrana between 2011 and 2014, with Xavi playing behind him in midfield.
Following the sudden retirement of Sergio Aguero, who was diagnosed with a heart problem and advised to hang his boots, finding a new striker has become even more vital for Barcelona on Wednesday.
De Jong and the injured Memphis and Martin Braithwaite are the only natural strikers in the Barcelona team, and Xavi is looking to add to that group.
Along with Sanchez, there is interest in Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who faces an uncertain future after being stripped of his captaincy, but it is understood that signing him will be more difficult than bringing Sanchez back to Camp Nou.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
