Barcelona have been going through rough times over the last few years, but this season they hit rock bottom. Ronald Koeman is gone but Los Cules are still in trouble as they dropped to the Europa League after a long time following a shocking Champions League group stage crash.
Xavi Hernandez has only been at the helm for a few weeks but he already has to face an early rebuild in his beloved club. While he has reportedly drawn a list of players who could leave Camp Nou anytime soon, he'll also have to identify realistic candidates to join his squad.
Needless to say, it will be a challenging task given the club's financial woes. But Barca have learnt that free agency could be the answer during these hard times and they might search in there for a possible Sergiño Dest replacement.
Report: Barcelona target potential free agent who could replace Sergiño Dest
Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia, Sergio 'Kun' Aguero, and Dani Alves have all joined El Blaugrana for nothing this year and it looks like more players will join them that way. According to Mundo Deportivo, another right-back could make his way to Camp Nou.
The Spanish outlet claims that Barcelona are keeping tabs on Ajax defender Noussair Mazraoui, whose deal with the Eredivisie club is up next summer. The 24-year-old has been with the Dutch giants since 2017 and has become a regular starter since Dest joined Barca.
The USA international has been linked with a move away from the Catalans and Alves' arrival may suggest Xavi wants to have different alternatives in that spot. As for Mazraoui, the fact that he could sign for free could make him an interesting target.
The report adds that Barcelona will make an effort to save the little cash they have for a potential Ferran Torres move but, mostly, to pursue Erling Haaland, regardless of how unlikely that looks. Besides them, their idea would be to sign players without spending, either by targeting free agents or landing players on loan.
