According to a report on Football España, several English clubs are hoping to secure the services of Barcelona striker Munir El Haddadi via a loan deal in January. After starting in seven of Barca's first eight league matches, the 19-year-old has found himself out of the mix with Luis Suárez having returned from suspension. Reports in Spanish newspapers have linked Munir with the likes of West Ham and Swansea City.
West Ham, Swansea interested in Barcelona’s Munir; Could he go to England?
English clubs are reportedly interested in loan deals for the 19-year-old, but he’s still an important part of Barca’s roster.
Alex Caparros/Getty Images
Why it makes sense
Munir is a tremendous young talent and he played well early in the season, providing some much needed depth for Luis Enrique. With Suárez back though, Munir has become a third choice at best behind the Uruguayan and Pedro for a spot in the lineup. With Munir not getting time with the first team, it seems reasonable that Barca might choose to let him spend some time away with another club on loan, specifically a Premier League team. They sent Gerard Deulofeu to Everton last season, so it's not like they haven't done something similar before.
Why it doesn’t make sense
Barcelona don’t need to send Munir out on loan for him to get playing time, they can just let him stay with Barcelona B in the second division. More importantly, Enrique is one injury away from likely needing Munir again, especially after the new year when the club will presumably be dealing with league, Copa del Rey and Champions League matches. If either Neymar, Suárez or Pedro goes down for an extended period of time, having Munir available as a backup with some experience would be very important.
Likelihood it happens
Considering that the Spanish newspapers claim that Barca will veto any loan moves and that Munir is an ideal stopgap in case of injury, we’re giving any deal involving the 19-year-old striker a 2 out of 10 chance of going down. It’s not impossible, but it just doesn’t seem likely.
See More:
