Barcelona running out of midfield transfer options after PSG hijack

FC Barcelona has been left in a tight spot after Georginio Wijnaldum rejected their offer to sign for the club this summer. The Dutchman decided to sign for Paris Saint-Germain instead, leaving the Catalans to rethink their summer strategy.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta did not mince words when he threw shade at PSG for hijacking their planned central midfield signing. Wijnaldum was the ideal candidate for Barcelona, and it was no secret that his free agent status was a major reason why the cash-strapped club wanted to sign him.

Now, Ronald Koeman will need to think about his other options once he completes the signing of Memphis Depay. Once his fellow Dutchman in onboard, the club will already have a formidable forward line, pending the confirmation of Lionel Messi's contract extension of course.

Back to the midfield, young Pedri will likely be given more playing time especially since he has also established himself as a starter for La Furia Roja. However, after what happened during the gruelling 2020-21 season, the club knows that the players need to be rotated to keep them fresh and healthy.

Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong are still pillars of the Barcelona midfield, but Miralem Pjanic or Carles Alena may both see the door this summer after failing to gain Koeman's confidence last season. Riqui Puig is also in the roster, but Koeman did not appear to rely heavily on him last season either. The future of Ilaix Moriba is still unclear, and Barcelona may opt to cash in on him if good offers land on their table.

There are very few options left for Barcelona if they want to look elsewhere. No doubt that most players would love the chance to play for the Catalan giants, but the club's current financial situation leaves them with limited options. With clubs like PSG splashing cash around, Laporta and Koeman need to be extra creative this summer.

Real Sociedad's Mikel Merino is a possible target, but the club won't let him go for cheap. Nevertheless, Barcelona has made a lot of progress this summer, signing Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia and Emerson Royal in the early weeks of the transfer window despite their limited finances.