Barcelona opinion: Should Barca consider a move for Gianluigi Buffon?
According to a report from the Sun, La Liga giants Barcelona are plotting a swoop for the Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. The 41-year-old announced his premature departure from PSG and now the Catalan kings are looking to pounce on the free-agent.
Meanwhile, Barcelona’s second-choice Jasper Cillessen is desperate for a move away from Camp Nou after growing weary over the lack of first-team chances over the course of his time at the Nou Camp.
However, Barca are likely to hold on to the Dutch no.1 unless his entire clause is met by the suitors.
Buffon would end as a misfit for Barca
The ex-Juventus legend sought out a move to Ligue 1 with intentions to lift the Champions League, but the dreams were soon shattered when the Parisians were eliminated in the round of 16 from the hands of Manchester United despite a strong first leg lead.
The worrying part was that Buffon himself played a big part in that defeat with two goalkeeping blunders which the Red Devils manipulated well.
Moreover, the veteran shot-stopper has kept only 6 clean sheets in 17 appearances in the recently concluded Ligue 1 season, which clearly indicates the Italian has fallen from his pinnacle.
On the other hand, Barca tend to have no serious problems with their No. 1 Marc Andre Ter Stegen as the German looks in better shape than ever.
And while the 27-year-old appears to be indispensable for years to come, it is quite clear why Cillessen is prompting an exit given that he is on the verge of entering into his 30’s.
Amidst this, the arrival of Buffon to Camp Nou will also prevent the growth of Inaki Pena, a budding goalkeeper from Barca’s academy. The 20-year-old’s name was often included in the squad list as the second-string option when Ter Stegen was out injured.
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Conclusion
Pena, Barca’s reserve goalkeeper is a worthy enough successor to Ter Stegen and the La Liga giants should work on nurturing the Spaniard instead of going for Buffon, who is expected to hang up his boots in a year or two.
