Barcelona set sights on €80 million-rated winger in search of player similar to Dembele

When Xavi arrived at Barcelona as manager in November 2021, his idea was to set up a team in the 4-3-3 formation with the focus being on traditional wingers with great dribbling prowess.

In Ousmane Dembele, Xavi found a player who fit perfectly into this philosophy and the manager made sure to pamper the French winger, who delivered some brilliant performances under the club legend.

As such, his departure to PSG in the summer came as a big blow for Barça. The explosion of Lamine Yamal has eased the pain to an extent, but none of the other forwards in the squad provide the same type of panache and directness from the wings.

As such, Barcelona are looking for a new winger in the market heading into the summer – a player who is similar in profile to Dembele, reports Alex Pintanel.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the radars

And the search has led Barcelona to Napoli speedster Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is the most liked option in the club offices, the report adds.

The 23-year-old has enjoyed great success since joining Napoli in 2022 and has caught the attention of top clubs across the continent with his pace, dribbling abilities, and contributions in the final third.

Barcelona like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

The idea is to bring in a skilful winger with the ability to cut inside, good in one-on-one situations and sharp dribbling and Kvaratskhelia is a well-liked option.

However, the winger has a contract with Napoli until 2027, and the Catalans’ financial situation means that at the moment the arrival of the Georgian is a pipe dream.

Not a priority

A new winger is not seen as the top priority at Barcelona, with the pivot midfielder being seen as the most important signing for the summer.

However, with there being some degree of uncertainty around the future of Raphinha and Joao Felix, the possibility is being studied.

Kvaratskhelia though remains a distant possibility, but there are other ‘low-cost’ options being looked at while the homegrown solution of Ansu Fati, on loan at Brighton, also remains on the table.

*Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication