Ayoze Perez has emerged as a potential signing by Barcelona, according to the Daily Mail.
The Mail reports that 23 year-old Perez has been identified as a potential back-up to their fabled strikeforce of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr.
It’s a startling claim. Perez has done well since he joined Newcastle in 2014 and there were some who believed he should have gone to France with the Spanish Euro 2016 squad.
I just find it hard to comprehend why a player would be interested in going to the bench at the Camp Nou. It should be said that there are no claims that Perez is agitating for a move.
Whilst I understand the draw of Barcelona as a club, the reality is that he wouldn’t get into the starting line-up without a major injury occurring. In those circumstances, his place would last until the next transfer window. Training at a higher level, being at bigger club; huge positives. Not playing more than a dozen games per season? A massive and in my view, insurmountable negative for any ambitious player.