Barcelona are looking to rebuild under new president Joan Laporta and signings are expected this summer, but there is a serious lack of cash at the Camp Nou and this makes the free agent options of Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero very tempting.
The Catalan club haven’t signed a player on a free transfer since 2005, when Laporta was president during his first stint. This summer, they could go down that route again to bring in Depay or Aguero.
Here we take a look at the pros and cons for each forward and you can have your say in the below poll on who you think would be a better signing for the Blaugrana.
Memphis Depay
The Dutch forward is currently at Lyon and was linked with Barcelona last summer and even during the winter, but has ultimately stayed in France and will become a free agent at the end of the 2020/21 season.
Reasons to prefer Depay over Aguero:
- Depay is more versatile than Aguero, able to play as a true No.9 but also thriving in wide positions. At a club like Barcelona, forwards who can perform various roles are always welcomed.
- His arrival would make Ronald Koeman happy. The Dutch coach has admired Depay for some time and if he stays on for next season then he would certainly appreciate being given the 27-year-old to work with.
- Depay would arrive in better form and better health than Aguero. With the Argentine having been injured so much, Depay presents less of a risk and has scored 15 times and provided nine assists this campaign.
- Part of the reason why Depay isn’t injured as much is that he is younger. Depay just turned 27 in February and is in his prime, whereas Aguero will turn 33 in June and his best years are surely behind him.
Sergio Aguero
It was announced on Monday night that Aguero will depart Manchester City after 10 years with the Premier League club. It’ll be an emotional departure, but there could yet be a happy encore for Aguero at a new club.
Reasons to prefer Aguero over Depay:
- It may have been some time ago, but Aguero does know LaLiga Santander from his time with Atletico Madrid. That could be useful if Barcelona want a player who can hit the ground running.
- Even though Aguero isn’t as versatile as Depay and has almost exclusively played at the tip of attack during his career, this might actually be exactly what Barcelona are looking for. With Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati, they have quality wide forwards and just need a new Luis Suarez or a Martin Braithwaite upgrade.
- The Messi factor could also be key. Messi and Aguero’s friendships goes way back and their chemistry on the pitch for Argentina has always been there. Aguero arriving could also be a reason to convince Messi to stay.
- Given his age, Aguero would surely be willing to accept a shorter-term contract than Depay at this point in time. Given Barcelona’s finances, this could be a major plus.
