Paris Saint-Germain are being stubborn about selling Marquinhos, while Tottenham Hotspur won't let go of Jan Vertonghen without a fight, so Barcelona are having to look into other options to fill a hole in the center of their defense. Enter Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng, who is Barca's latest target, according to MARCA. They say that Barcelona are speaking to his representatives and that Bayern are asking for €39m.
Barcelona pursue Bayern Munich defender
Could Jerome Boateng be the cure to what ails Barcelona’s defense?
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Why it makes sense
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Barcelona need a top central defender and have struggled to buy one. Jeremy Mathieu was a nice addition, but they’re still one short, and he’s not the caliber of player who should be first choice in Clasicos. Boateng is coming off a very good couple of seasons for Bayern and a World Cup win, so he’s clearly Barcelona quality. His age -- 25 -- is perfect too. He’s entering his prime, but still has plenty of years left at the highest level. The reported asking price of €39m should be close to his actual market value and would represent a good deal for both teams.
Why it doesn’t make sense
Bayern Munich aren't exactly loaded at central defense. Dante is a clear starter and it's possible (okay, likely) that Pep Guardiola sees Javi Martinez as a better defender than midfielder, but they're light on bodies after that. It's entirely possible that Guardiola rates Holger Badstuber and the club thinks he's fully recovered from his back-to-back ACL tears, but depending on him would be silly. If Bayern sells Boateng, they're down to one true, established central defender.
Boateng also isn’t exactly what one thinks of when they think of Barcelona. He’s proficient technically, but he’s certainly not Gerard Pique or Carles Puyol. Barcelona want to make some changes and get out of Pep’s shadow, but Boateng would be a pretty serious change from the types of defenders they’ve played over the last decade.
Likelihood it happens
Bayern Munich are probably the richest club in the world, so they don’t have an incentive to sell anyone, especially a player coming off a great season and better World Cup. But it’s always impossible to figure out what Pep Guardiola is thinking or how he rates players. It’s entirely possible that he thinks Boateng isn’t a fit at all, and he just played him out of necessity. Barca are in need of a center back and are probably willing to spend big to get one.
It’s hard to see why Bayern would sell Boateng, but he’s not a prototype Pep player, so he probably has a price. Plus, Bayern and Barca are comfortable doing business with each other. Let’s say there’s a 4 out of 10 chance this happens.
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