Five potential signings who would be perfect for Barcelona after Silva & Alvarez setbacks | OneFootball

Barcelona started the summer with a bright outlook on the transfer window as they dropped €80m on the signing of Anthony Gordon, but have quickly been dealt some setbacks.

After returning to La Liga’s 1:1 rule for their spending, hopes have been high at Barca that they can be more aggressive in the transfer market than in recent years.

But they look to have been beaten to the signing of Bernardo Silva by Real Madrid, and the same rival’s public attempt to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid has served as a reminder that their own hopes of doing so might be over-ambitious.

Still, there’s plenty of time ahead this summer for Barca to make more signings. We’ve picked out five players who’d be ideal targets to look at.

Joao Pedro

With Robert Lewandowski gone and Alvarez unlikely to come in, it’s a striker that Barca need to prioritise.

They could use Gordon through the middle in theory, but that happening on a regular basis doesn’t exactly scream Barca standard.

But after their Newcastle raid, the answer could come from elsewhere in the Premier League.

Pedro had a bright first year with Chelsea, scoring three from three at the Club World Cup and then hitting 20 goals in his proper first season.

With the technical ability to play as a number 10 and the clinical instinct to operate up front, he would fit in well with the Barca ethos.

Whether Chelsea would be tempted to cash in so soon is another matter, especially since their other striker signing of last summer, Liam Delap, was miles off it.

But new Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso could cast another glance at Nicolas Jackson once he returns from his loan spell at Bayern Munich and the Blues might even enter the market for another forward.

Pedro still doesn’t quite feel Barca standard just yet but has plenty of progress under his belt and at 24 still has margin for growth.

He might not be as big a name as some of the alternatives Barca could look at – take Victor Osimhen or free-agent Dusan Vlahovic – but would be a better stylistic fit.

Evan Ndicka

At the other end of the pitch, Barca are lacking a left-footed centre-back after letting go of Inigo Martinez last summer.

It’s not their top priority, since they have got by just fine with their combination of right-footed centre-backs, but they would be able to restore some balance by belatedly bringing in a successor for Martinez.

One of their dream targets would have been Alessandro Bastoni, but he’d cost an arm and a leg and his agent has said he “will definitely stay at Inter.”

But Barca could shift their gaze ever so slightly in the Serie A market and see if Roma could be tempted to cash in on Ndicka.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt defender is calm on the ball and circulates it well, while being more renowned for his reading of the game.

Every now and then he’ll have a lapse of judgement, but he became so dependable for Roma that he didn’t miss a minute of the 2024-25 Serie A season.

Since they signed him on a free transfer, they would make a big profit by selling him. They’d rather not, but it could make it worthwhile for Barca to ask the question.

Alex Grimaldo

Of all the talent that has come through La Masia in recent years, one player Barca never got to benefit from is Grimaldo.

The left-back headed off to Benfica a decade ago and has since enjoyed a productive three years with Bayer Leverkusen.

But he hasn’t hidden his desire to finally give La Liga a crack one day and what better way would there be for him to than with the club who made him?

Barca are considering their options at full-back, seeing if they can keep Joao Cancelo after his second loan spell at the club and weighing up Alejandro Balde’s place in their plans.

If a vacancy opens up, the timing could be right for Grimaldo to make his comeback in Catalonia.

Only one year remains on his Leverkusen contract and he’s emerging from a 14-goal season. Yes, that’s 14 – for a left wing-back.

Now 30, Grimaldo has the right blend of quality and experience if the price is reasonable.

Andrei Ratiu

On the opposite side of defence, Barca might benefit from a more attack-minded right-back than Jules Kounde.

If they look within La Liga, one of the best they’d be able to find is Rayo Vallecano’s Ratiu.

The Romanian has spent the past three years with Rayo, becoming one of the best right-backs in the league outside of the big clubs.

About to turn 28, this is the time to take the leap if ever there was one.

Available for a €25m release clause, Ratiu has caught Barca’s attention – although they may want to negotiate that price down.

But you can see why he’s of interest and after reaching the Conference League final with Rayo this season, he might have gone as far as he can with his current club.

Antonio Nusa

To cap it all off this summer, Barca could have room for another winger to add into the mix, especially if they can offload Roony Bardghji on loan.

It’d have to be a versatile one who can help them across the frontline, much like Gordon, and may depend on another exit.

Nusa fits the bill as a young winger who can play on either wing or in behind a striker.

The 21-year-old has been playing for RB Leipzig for the past couple of seasons and is in Norway’s squad for the World Cup.

“Neymar is my role model because he creates chaos on the pitch with his dribbling, just like me,” Nusa said when he was just breaking through at Stabaek five years ago.

You don’t need us to remind you Neymar was a massive hit at Camp Nou. If given the chance, Nusa could go down a storm.