Earlier this month, we've listed at least four 'problematic' positions Barcelona have right now, including a left-back, a centre-back, a defensive midfielder and a striker.
The Catalans have confirmed the signing of Memphis Depay since then, so now we'll take a closer look at six players who have managed to impress after the Euro 2020 matchday 2 and could solve the Blaugrana's squad woes next term.
Left-back
Robin Gosens
Gosens has been one of the best players at Atalanta in the 2020/21 season, helping the Goddess to secure the third-place finish with 11 goals and six assists in 32 appearances.
The 26-year-old has played in each of Germany's two games at the Euro. Despite losing the first one 1-0 to France, Gosens produced the man-of-the-match performance in the following 4-2 victory over Portugal on Saturday.
As per Sport1, Barca have already contacted the agents of Gosens with a view to sign him this summer. The same German outlet says that Atalanta would ask at least €35m for Robin.
Leonardo Spinazzola
Spinazzola run the show in Italy's opening day 3-0 victory over Turkey and deservedly won the man of the match award for his performance.
The AS Roma wing-back has gone on to help Roberto Mancini's crop secure their spot in the last-16 round in a 3-0 victory against Switzerland.
One of the main traits of the 28-year-old which makes him a perfect target for Barca is his versatility as Leonardo could cover three positions, namely a centre-back, a left-back and a left midfielder.
Spinazzola is now vauled at €26m by Transfermarkt. He's out of contract in 2024 so Roma are likely to ask around €30m for the Italian.
Centre-back
Aymeric Laporte or Pau Torres
We wouldn't necessarily say that Laporte and Torres have particularly impressed at the Euro but each of Spain's centre-back pairing is a left-footed player - something that Barca are said to be looking for this summer.
Laporte seems to be closer to the Catalans than the Villarreal defender as Barca are believed to be in close contact with Manchester City over Aymeric's potential move to Camp Nou.
What makes Laporte's move to Barca eve more likely is that he's lost his starting XI spot at the Cityzens after Ruben Dias' arrival at the Etihad stadium.
Transfermarkt value the 37-year-old at €45m but the Catalans could facilitate his transfer to Catalonia by including Sergi Roberto into the deal amid Pep Guardiola's reported interest in the La Masia graduate.
Torres, meanwhile, is valued at €50m and it doesn't seem likely that the Yellow Submarine would part company with their prized asset for anything less than €70m anytime soon.
Milan Skriniar
Unlike Laporte and Torres, Skriniar has been playing some of his best football since starting in Slovakia's Euro opener against Poland.
The Inter Milan defender scored his side's winner in the 2-1 victory over Robert Lewandowski and Co but the Slovaks have gone on to lose 1-0 to Sweden in the following game.
Even though the 26-year-old is valued at €60m by Transfermarkt, Skriniar could be sold on the cheap in the following month.
Milan's current deal at the Nerazzurri expires in 2023 and he doesn't seem to be in hurry to renew it. Moreover, Inter are expected to offload a number of their players due to the club's financial problems.
Holding midfielder
Manuel Locatelli
While Spinazzola was the star of Italy's victory against Turkey, Locatelli claimed the man of the match award in the following victory over the Swiss side after scoring twice against the Crescent Stars.
The Sassuolo midfielder was named among Sergio Busquets' potential long-term replacements ahead of this summer's tournament.
The Serie A outfit, however, are unlikely to let the 23-year-old go on a cut-price deal as he's tied with the club until 2023. His current market value stands at €35m but is set to rise by some €20-30m if Manuel continues like this at the Euro.
Which of these players do Barca need the most? Let us know in the comments!
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4 problematic positions Barcelona have right now – explained
Barcelona have already finalised three incoming transfers but there are certain questions left regarding the team's squad depth needed for the next season.
Let's take a look at the three problematic gaps Barca haven't yet closed.
2nd-choice left-back
With Junior Firpo set to leave the club in the summer, it's yet unknown who will be his replacement.
Barca decided not to trigger the option of Juan Miranda's contract extension and the Spaniard is leaving the club as well.
Solutions
Rumour has it Blaugrana have revived their interest in Valencia's Jose Gaya and could finalise his signing for €15-20m.
Earlier, it was reported that Ronald Koeman could rely on Barca B's Alejandro Balde but the latter didn't really establish himself as a regular starter under Garcia Pimienta.
First-choice centre-back
Signing Eric Garcia for free is a good deal, of course. However, according to various reports, Joan Laporta has asked Koeman to stick to the 4-3-3 formation which means that we'll need a quality defender to play alongside Ronald Araujo.
Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet? Both were error-prone last season.
Eric Garcia's problem is that he's quite short (1.82m) and he's much better at passing the ball than winning aerials. Of course, we may draw comparisons with Carles Puyol (who was even shorter, by the way) but the 20-year-old is clearly not at this level yet.
Solutions
Laporta is said to be fond of Matthijs de Ligt. Despite Juventus' shaky season, the Dutchman was the most consistent man at the back and he's reportedly interested to join Barca too.
Second-choice defensive midfielder
After yet another impressive season at Camp Nou, Sergio Busquets is going to remain our No. 1 in his position.
Who would be his substitute though? Miralem Pjanic hasn't really gained form since his arrival while Frenkie de Jong is particularly good as a deep-lying playmaker.
Solutions
The first solution is to use physical Georginio Wijnaldum. The 30-year-old will reportedly sign for Barca in the coming weeks. Despite being a prolific goalscorer under Koeman (10 goals with the Netherlands in less than 2 years), he could play in Busquets' position as he did often at Liverpool.
Solution number 2 is to take someone from Barca B. Both Jandro Orellana and Nico Gonzalez could help the first team in this respect.
First-choice striker
With all due respect for Sergio Aguero, it's hard to imagine the Argentine play the entire season non-stop, especially after he missed most of the last season through injuries.
Solutions
Memphis Depay, who's said to be very close to arriving at Camp Nou, could really impress us all upfront next season. The 27-year-old made 40 appearances for Lyon last term, netting 22 goals and providing 12 assists.
Given the level of his potential Barca teammates, Memphis could shine even brighter at Blaugrana.
3 big stats prove we were totally right to sign Emerson
It's been a while since we had a wing-back who's good both defensively and offensively.
Seems like Emerson is the solution on the right side. Here are three big stats that perfectly display his immense defensive contribution.
Most tackles in 2020/21 La Liga
1. Javi Galan (Huesca) - 109
2. Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis) - 105
3. Emerson (Real Betis) - 96
4. Alfonso Espino (Cadiz) - 92
5. Casemiro (Real Madrid) - 89
Most interceptions in 2020/21 La Liga
1. Emerson (Real Betis) - 67
2. Casemiro (Real Madrid) - 61
3. Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis) - 58
4. Florian Lejeune (Alaves) - 58
5. Ximo Navarro (Alaves) - 57
Most tackles + interceptions in 2020/21 La Liga
1. Emerson (Real Betis) - 163
2. Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis) - 163
3. Casemiro (Real Madrid) - 150
4. Alfonso Espino (Cadiz) - 138
5. Javi Galan (Huesca) - 137
As a reminder, Emerson has been officially announced as Barca's new signing.
