Barcelona are enduring perhaps the worst crisis in their history this century. The Catalan giants are seventh on the table and fighting desperately for a top-four finish. It has been a bad situation at Camp Nou, with players not hitting the heights.
Barcelona exited the UEFA Champions League, where they managed only two goals from six matches and conceded nine. They have dropped to the Europa League and are struggling in La Liga.
Los Blaugrana have managed 29 goals in La Liga this season, conceding 22. They want to arrest the striker crisis that is rocking the club at the moment with their search taking them to Amsterdam, where they have Sébastien Haller in their sights.
Barcelona take striker hunt to Amsterdam
With the striker crisis going on at FC Barcelona, there is the need to get a prolific scorer that will get the goals for the Catalan giants.
Xavi has been at odds on how to arrest the current crisis at the club. The results have not gone their way, and they have not been scoring enough goals to cover for their defensive frailties. It is the reason Xavi needs to bring in a proven striker.
The early retirement by Argentine icon Sergio Agüero, alongside injuries to Memphis Depay and Martin Braithwaite, has left Barcelona short upfront. Dutch international Luuk de Jong is the only striker available to Xavi.
It comes as no surprise that Barcelona have shown interest in Cote d’Ivoire striker Sébastien Haller.
The Ajax Amsterdam forward is having a splendid season and has become a point of interest for Xavi.
Catalunya-based outlet El Nacional reports that Barcelona is tracking the Ivorian, who currently tops the Champions League top scorers chart. Recent events have left Xavi short of options in attack as he continues the rebuild at the club.
Splendid season for Haller
Only one player has outscored Sébastien Haller in the Champions League group stage history. The Ivorian has a tally of ten Champions League goals only bettered by Cristiano Ronaldo’s haul of 11 in the 2015/16 season. Haller has also scored another ten goals from 16 appearances for Ajax in the Eredivisie, putting the Amsterdam side in a three-way fight for the title with PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord Rotterdam.
Barca have had links to Erling Haaland, Dušan Vlahović, and Alexander Isak, but the costs will be prohibitive for the Catalan side, making Haller a better prospect. Barça Universal reports that Haller will be more affordable and has become Barça’s prime candidate.
According to Transfermarkt, Haller has a current market value of €27million. Ajax got the Ivorian from West Ham for £20 million, and even double the figure still portends a cheaper option than if Barça went for any of the other top strikers.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
