Barcelona to sign Luan as fourth striker

FC Barcelona chase for a fourth forward continues and different names continue to be mentioned with the latest being Brazilian striker Luan Vieira.

After missing out on the signing of Kevin Gameiro and Luciano Vietto who joined Atletico Madrid and Sevilla respectively, Barça are forced to search for a striker elsewhere and this time they are sticking to their target criteria for the striker who should be young, willing to be backup but fight for his place and a good goalscorer and they have chosen Gremio attacker Luan Vieira to fulfil that role at the Camp Nou this season, according to Catalan publication SPORT.

According to SPORT, the Catalan giants have accelerated negotiations with Gremio to sign Luan from the club as soon as possible and technical secretary Robert Fernandez is in Brazil to watch the player in action at the Rio Olympics and also finish off the deal as they hope to make it done before their Spanish Super Cup clash against Sevilla next week Wednesday.

The report state that Luan has accepted the submissive role to be fourth forward at Barça as he does not want the opportunity of playing for the best club in the world pass him by, hence, he is willing to fight for his place from the bench. The player have received better offers from other European clubs but have told his representatives to prioritize contacts with Barça as playing for Luis Enrique’s team is a priority.

Fiorentina striker Mario Gomez has been linked with a move to Barça as the Italian club are ready to include him in the deal to get Cristian Tello, however, Barça will definitely prefer a young and talented striker that will wear the colours of the club for a long time and Luan Vieira meets the criteria.

Luan is just 23-year old, he is pure talent and not only can he play as a centre striker but also as a winger which brings versatility to the Barça attack as he can cover for both Luis Suarez and Neymar. The player is a striker with extra abilities as he can carry the ball, is tall and can also efficiently beat his marker using dribbles.

He is currently representing Brazil alongside Neymar in the ongoing 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro.