Barcelona have reportedly contacted former Chelsea midfielder Oscar over his sudden move to Camp Nou following the departure of Philippe Coutinho.
It was confirmed on Monday evening that Coutinho had completed his Premier League medical with Aston Villa, to reunite him with his former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard.
The 29-year-old will join Aston Villa on loan until the end of the season, who joined the Catalan giants in a £142m deal in 2018.
Villa are believed to be paying less than 50% of Coutinho’s weekly wages plus bonuses, according to Sky Sports, with an option to buy in order to acquire the attacking midfielder for £33m this summer.
Will Barcelona try to sign a replacement to replace the player? Well, it looks like Xavi Hernandez’s side is trying to bring one of the biggest stars of the Chinese Super League to the Camp Nou this month.
Oscar, who joined Shanghai SIPG in 2016, is thought to be intriguing, with Barcelona already in contact with the player over the move – although progress has been difficult, according to Brazilian magazine TNT Sports.
The midfielder is currently under contract at SIPG until 2024, and if reports are to be believed, the Brazilian is earning a huge profit in China, which means Barcelona’s financial situation could prove to be a stumbling block.
But if they can get a deal to sign Oscar, the Spanish club will have a very capable player in their hands.
Since joining Shanghai, he has scored 37 goals and 73 assists in 113 appearances, helping the club win the Chinese Super League title in 2018.
Last year, Oscar revealed his desire to retire with the former Chelsea club.
“I’m thinking of ending playing at Chelsea because I had good times before at the club,” he told TalkSPORT.
“Chelsea helped me a lot to improve and do what I always dreamed of, which is to play in the Champions League and they helped me to play in the World Cup and win the Premier League.
“I have a lot of friends at Chelsea. If I have the opportunity to finish my career at Chelsea, it is a dream for me.
“Of course, Chelsea don’t like to buy too many older players, which is normal because it’s a big team from Europe, but I’ll do my best to be fit until you finish there.”