Barcelona transfer news: The top targets after losing Neymar

There’s no one who can directly replace Neymar. In losing him, Barcelona has lost one of the best players on the planet. But the €222 million they received from the Brazilian buying out his contract is the most money anyone’s ever had to play with in the transfer market. Barcelona was looking to sign a star player before selling Neymar, and now they’re probably looking to sign three.

Despite the strange mechanics of the deal, this is likely to be remembered as Paris Saint-Germain paying a world record transfer fee, more than doubling the previous record of €105 million paid by Manchester United to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus. While everyone knowing they have that much money lying around will lead to inflated prices, Barcelona now has the money to buy pretty much any player they want.

The Blaugrana’s potential targets are well-known, but they only have a month to sign them. Here’s who Barcelona will be targeting with the Neymar money.

Liverpool has reportedly refused two bids from the Blaugrana for Coutinho. But now that the player knows he wouldn’t be a backup, he might push harder for the move, despite his love for the Reds.

The 18-year-old phenom has told AS Monaco that he’d like to leave the club. Real Madrid was considered the favorite to sign him, but by selling Neymar, Barca is now a serious player.

The main problem with this idea is that Griezmann’s release clause is almost as big as Neymar’s — €200m. Atléti is not willing to accept less than that while they’re serving a transfer ban. But since Griezmann was so nice as to sign a new contract to keep Manchester United from getting him cheap, Atléti might do him a solid and negotiate.

Dortmund has maintained that Dembele is not for sale, and Real Madrid chairman Florentino Perez has a good business relationship with BVB, which would make it hard for Barca to get him without competition from their rivals. But Dortmund has never been able to hold onto its top talents, and would have trouble refusing a nine-figure bid for a player who is still relatively unproven.

These players are likely to be available for a reasonable price, so Barcelona might sign one of them alongside one of their top targets. They’ve got enough money, after all.

Martial has disappointed since joining United for £38 million, but he’s still just 21 and his highlight plays are sensational. He has a lot of talent left to unlock and might just need a change of scenery. It seems unlikely that United would play hardball over a fee.

Balde has gradually improved each of his years in Serie A, and he’s still just 22. However, he’s refused offers from England because he’d prefer to move up to a bigger club in Italy. Napoli and Juventus are currently fighting to capture him.

The dismantling of Monaco’s brilliant Champions League semifinal team is quite sad. And since they’ve already raked in a huge transfer income this summer, Monaco isn’t going to let Lemar go without a fight. But they’re a club with minimal match-day revenue, so they’re not in a position to say no to any nine-figure offer.

Dealing with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is like pulling teeth, and he’s not afraid to let a sulking player get angry at him for not selling if he doesn’t get the fee he wants. This would be a difficult deal to pull off. But every player has a price for Tottenham, including Dele.

This would be a strange fit. Aubameyang isn’t poor technically, but he likes space a lot more than he likes possession play and might struggle to adapt to the Barcelona style. Still, it’ll be harder for Barca to find a better goalscorer than PEA.

Welcome back? Sanchez was shipped out of the Camp Nou in 2014 after a season filled with missed chances. But he’s improved considerably since joining Arsenal and only has one year left on his contract. He might be the cheapest player on this list, and the closest to a like-for-like Neymar replacement too.

This would also be weird for different reasons. Özil is still fairly popular among Real Madrid fans. But like his Arsenal teammate, Özil has just one year left on his deal, so Arsenal would be forced to sell if a big offer came in.

These players aren’t believed to be for sale at any price this summer, but you never know...

Dybala shredded Barcelona in the Champions League last season and is Messi’s heir apparent on the Argentina national team. He presents the best potential value for Barca, given his age and consistent upward trajectory. But Juventus doesn’t need the money, plus Dybala has a lot of time left on his contract. The Blaugrana might be able to plant the seeds for a move next summer, but it’s unlikely that they can sign him in the next month.

Hazard has been linked to Spain’s big two constantly since his superb 2013-14 season for Chelsea. But there might not be any team on the planet less in need of transfer income than the Blues — their net spend over the last three windows is currently comparable to Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, despite their riches. Chelsea also has an army of players out on loan they can sell whenever they need to raise money. They’re likely to laugh off any bid for Hazard this summer.

He’d be more of an Andres Iniesta replacement than a Neymar one, but having €222 million in the bank means Barca can chase superstars at two positions. And if they want someone to play in the center, there’s no more obvious Iniesta replacement out there than De Bruyne. City is in the middle of a major spending spree, though, and De Bruyne is the man they want to build around.

City has definitively stated that Aguero is not for sale and will not leave this summer. Given Thursday’s sale of Kelechi Iheanacho, it would be extremely difficult for the Citizens to let him go. But Aguero is older and more injury-prone than City’s other stars, so he probably has a price. If Barca wants to overpay to get a player they know can help them win now, Aguero’s probably not completely untouchable.

Who else should Barcelona be targeting? Let us know in the comments, and check out FC Barcelona blog Barca Blaugranes for constant updates on the search for players to replace Neymar.