Barcelona seek two signings for the price of one



The January transfer window has historically been utilised by Barcelona to cover temporary holes in their squad and the 2017 market appears to be no different, with a right-back needed due to Aleix Vidal's ostracism from Luis Enrique's plans.
Ibrahim Afellay's opportunistic 2011 arrival and the extreme example of Demetrio Albertini coming in to cover for Thiago Motta and Edmilson 12 years ago show how the club's philosophy can be tinkered with when short-term gain takes precedent mid-season.
Darijo Srna is the latest name to pop up as the Blaugrana seek competition for Sergi Roberto, knowing that such a signing can kill two birds with one stone.
Primarily, the Croatian is capable of instantly delivering a solid level of performance and also at a relatively low cost, due to his age of 34.
But it's in the benefits to the incumbent right-back that the deal begins to make more sense, as Sergi Roberto's impeccable displays in 2016 can be translated to the midfield, with no other player able to cover in Sergio Busquet's anchoring role like the 24-year-old.
Therefore, a possible departure for Vidal and the arrival of Srna could be far more than a straight swap in Barcelona's plans, allowing Luis Enrique far more flexibility in the second half of the campaign.

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