Barcelona has a number of players on their radar for when the summer transfer window approaches, but one may stand out more than the rest.
Defenseman Jerome Boateng of Bayern Munich appears to be that man, according to Marca. The only problem is that Barcelona is banned from acquiring players via the transfer window until 2016 after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the punishment handed down by FIFA. Barcelona violated international rules after signing players under the age of 18.
However, they appear to have a plan.
"Last Friday, Charly Rexach, the head of Barcelona's Sports Commission, called Boateng's agents to get the ball rolling once again. The Catalan club's idea is to sign the German but leave him on loan at Bayern until June 2016," according to Rafa Sahuquillo of Marca.
According to Sport Bild, the Spanish club attempted to acquire Boateng during last year's summer transfer window, but the defender wanted to stay with his German club. Additionally, Barca did not match the €39 million price tag Bayern slapped on Boateng and would not go above their €35 million offer, adds Sahuquillo.
Boateng is signed until 2018 and is pleased playing "at one of the top four clubs in the world."
"I don't know how much they bid for me in detail, but it's true that there was an enquiry," he said, via ESPNFC's translation. "When a club like Barcelona show interest, it's obviously a huge honour. But I never really considered it -- we were already in preseason at Bayern. These days, you don't need to join Barcelona from Bayern if you want to win the Champions League."
It'll be interesting to see if Boateng were to consider a transfer to Barcelona in 2016 because although Bayern Munich is still among the best in the world, their star players (midfielders Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery) are aging and have dealt with injuries for much of this season. Ribery said he and Robben have plenty of football left, but it's been rumored the club is interested in Wolfsburg midfielder Kevin De Bruyne to eventually succeed their star midfielders.
Perhaps Boateng believes it's a worthwhile opportunity to join Barcelona in 2016 if he foresees Bayern experiencing a decline next season.
The 26-year-old has logged 97 games with Bayern in the Bundesliga and has emerged as the heart of the team's defense.
