Football Club Barcelona have turned their attention to Valencia striker Rodrigo Moreno as part of their rebuilding process for next season.
According to MARCA, Rodrigo has emerged as a transfer target for the Catalan club as club president Josep Maria Bartomeu continues to look for someone to assist and provide competition to Luis Suarez. Girona striker Cristhian Stuani and Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann also remain possible options for the Blaugrana club.
Rodrigo spent time in Real Madrid’s youth academy, Castilla, where he stayed for one year between 2009-2010 before moving to Benfica.
The Spanish striker managed 25 goal contributions in 51 appearances for Valencia across all competitions. He scored 15 goals in the campaign with his latest one coming against his potential buyers FC Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final.
Rodrigo Moreno at Camp Nou: A good fit?
Barca have been aching for a new striker for quite some time now and with an ever-ageing Suarez, the task to replace the legendary number nine is becoming tedious with each passing day.
Rodrigo is a versatile player who predominantly features as a centre-forward but has proven his mettle as a right-winger and in the second-striker role as well. The 28-year-old has fared well in recent times and has made 17 appearances for the national team scoring 5 goals.
The Valencia striker isn’t your typical number nine. He drops deep to receive the ball and serves as the target man also. Rodrigo possesses the ability to dribble past defenders or to create space for himself. This often helps him to either have a pop at goal or to create a goal scoring opportunity for his teammate having drawn the defenders out of their position.
He likes to cut inside from the right and his spatial awareness on the pitch especially inside the box is clearly visible in his goals. The Spaniard is a great header of the ball who always pops up inside the area to provide options to his fellow attackers.
Valencia have allegedly slapped a €100m price tag on the 28-year-old though, which could be off-putting for Barcelona although it is expected a cheaper price can be agreed for the Spaniard. The Spanish side are clearly in no mood to let go of their prized possession but the lure of playing for Barcelona is something which might have an impact on where this transfer is ultimately headed.
Stat Courtesy: Whoscored, Transfermarkt