Barcelona are believed to be on the hunt for defensive reinforcement this summer, and Daniele Rugani‘s signature is one that keeps being mentioned.

The Catalan club were believed to be keen on signing Manchester City’s Eric Garcia, one who came through their academy initially, but do not appear to be willing to pay the asking price, which the BBC states is set at £30 Million.

Barca are now said to be eyeing cheaper alternatives, and Daniele Rugani has been mentioned amongst their shortlist in various reports.

MundoDeportivo (via Fichajes) claims however that they are ruling out a move for Rugani also, and are looking to spend even less by either signing Ezequiel Garay on a free transfer, or Mario Hermoso on loan.

La Liga are claimed to be clamping down on the club by forcing them to offload some of their squad prior to making any new signings, and are believed to have already blocked moves for Lyon’s Memphis Depay, De Telegraaf reported.

Nelson Semedo is expected to leave the club in the coming days, with Wolves believed to be close to a deal, while Luis Suarez is believed to be on his way out the door also, although Barca are claimed to have blocked a move to Atletico Madrid now, and the club are now said to be eyeing Edinson Cavani instead.

Barcelona’s transfer dealings have been something of controversy all summer, with the Lionel Messi saga having rocked the world, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were to come back in for Rugani once they finally managed to offload some players.

Daniele has been a loyal servant for our club over the years, and impressed once football returned following the break from football due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and I for one wouldn’t be disappointed with keeping him on as a squad member.

Is there still room for Rugani in our playing squad? Is the defender under-rated due to our increasing talent at centre-back?

Patrick