Barcelona have been offered an opportunity to sign fringe Bayern Munich star Marcel Sabitzer on a cut-price deal, as per Sport.
The Austria international left the Allianz Arena to link up with Manchester United last January and went on to impress the Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag.
Unfortunately, he picked up an injury that sidelined him for the final stretch of the 2022/23 campaign, causing United to reconsider their initial intention to hand him a permanent deal at Old Trafford.
Despite having second thoughts, the Premier League giants are still considering the prospect of signing the 29-year-old permanently, but their hesitation could come back to bite them.
Since Sabitzer has no future at Bayern, his agent has reportedly contacted Barcelona to propose his client to Xavi Hernandez, who is looking for midfield reinforcements.
After captaining Manchester City to a historic treble last season, Ilkay Gundogan departed the Etihad Stadium to strengthen the Catalans’ midfield ranks earlier this week.
The German’s arrival should fill the vacancy left by Sergio Busquets’ decision to sever ties with his boyhood club and reunite with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami.
However, Gundogan alone won’t be enough to keep the Bluagrana competitive on multiple fronts.
Barcelona received an official bid from Al-Ahli for Franck Kessie earlier today, and they’d approve the Ivorian’s transfer if they can find a satisfying agreement with the Saudi Arabian outfit.
Kessie’s potential departure would open up a slot for Sabitzer, who may not command an excessive price tag, given his Bayern contract expires in 2025 and the club want to cut him loose this summer.
The Bavarians paid RB Leipzig around €16 million to sign the Austrian midfielder in 2021 but wouldn’t lose much sleep if he was to go for a slightly lower figure.
With Barcelona forced to operate on a tight budget, Sabitzer could be a cost-effective signing, at least based on his performances for Man United last term.
