Barça wants Edgar Davids type deal for midfielder – Laporta

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has stated the membership will goal a midfielder in January in a deal much like the one which introduced Edgar Davids to the membership in 2004.

Davids joined Barça on mortgage halfway by the 2003-04 marketing campaign after they had been seventh within the desk and helped spark a revival that noticed them end second.

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With Gavi dominated out till the tip of the season, and after slipping seven factors behind LaLiga leaders Real Madrid on the weekend, Laporta says Barça will look for the same signing in January.

“If we manage to make the fair play work [with LaLiga], the idea is to have another midfielder to compensate for the loss of Gavi,” Laporta informed EFE on Monday.

“It would be a loan until the end of the season, like we did years ago with Edgar Davids, for example. I think before the end of the year we can create the space for a couple of deals we are working on.”

ESPN revealed in October that Barça are eager to signal one other midfielder to create competitors for Oriol Romeu, who joined final summer season as a low-price substitute for Sergio Busquets.

The preliminary plan was to speculate subsequent summer season, however an damage to Gavi, picked up whereas on worldwide responsibility with Spain in November, has pressured them to alter their plans.

FIFA will compensate Barça for the damage to Gavi, who will likely be out for as much as 10 months, whereas LaLiga will enable them some room inside their league-imposed to register a substitute.

However, the membership’s monetary issues imply they must discover the mortgage market, as they did with Davids nearly 20 years in the past. The Dutchman left after simply six months on the membership as a everlasting transfer couldn’t be agreed.

Barça will even herald Athletico Paranaense striker Vitor Roque subsequent month. The Brazilian will arrive for an preliminary €30 million ($32.7m) with an extra €31m due in doable add-ons as a part of an settlement brokered final summer season.

“The plan is that he arrives at the end of December or the beginning of January,” Laporta stated.

“The idea is that he joins the team as soon as possible. [Sporting director] Deco has explained to us he’s a goal scorer and I think he will be good for us right now.”

Barça coach Xavi has blamed an absence of effectivity within the remaining third for his crew’s latest outcomes, with their winless run stretching to 3 video games with Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Valencia.

They host winless Almeria on Wednesday on the Olympic Stadium earlier than travelling to Dallas straight after the match to shut the calendar yr with a pleasant in opposition to Mexican facet Club América.

They sit third within the desk, seven factors adrift of Madrid and 6 behind Girona, who host Aláves on Monday, and are safely by to the spherical of 16 of the Champions League, the place they had been paired with Napoli in Monday’s draw.