Al-Nassr forward Anderson Talisca could return to Europe after the Saudi Pro League club offered his services to Barcelona.
As per Sport, the 29-year-old’s skills are no longer in high demand in Riyadh following Sadio Mane’s arrival from Bayern Munich.
Talisca previously played for Benfica and Besiktas in Europe before landing a lucrative contract at Guangzhou Evergrande in 2018.
Following the collapse of the Chinese project, he switched to Al-Nassr in 2021 as one of the club’s first marquee signings before Cristiano Ronaldo and Mane entered the picture.
With the Saudis looking to cut expenses after handing the abovementioned stars eye-watering contracts, the Brazilian has been allowed to continue his career elsewhere.
His market value is €15 million, but Barcelona can take advantage of Al-Nassr’s interest in out-of-favour defender Clement Lenglet to negotiate a swap deal.
Xavi Hernandez’s pursuit of a new forward has failed to bear fruit as Bernardo Silva and Neymar left him hanging, with the latter choosing the riches of Saudi Arabia at the expense of a Camp Nou reunion.
Barcelona have only recently released Ousmane Dembele to Paris Saint-Germain, further weakening Xavi’s dwindling attacking options.
It’s now a near-certainty the Blaugrana won’t land a household name to replace the Frenchman as the club’s financial turmoil prevents Joan Laporta from pursuing high-profile acquisitions.
While the quality and intensity of football in the Saudi Pro League cannot compare to La Liga, Talisca’s attacking output in the Middle East commands respect.
He has tallied 44 goals and eight assists in just 66 competitive appearances for Al-Nassr, making him one of the division’s most lethal attackers.
But it’s been a while since Talisca played at the highest level, which could deter Barcelona from accepting the Saudis’ proposal, even though there aren’t many options left on the market.
