Why Barcelona should sign Olympique Lyon’s Bruno Guimaraes

According to a report from AS English, La Liga champions Barcelona are interested in signing Olympique Lyon’s Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes in the summer.

Bruno, 22, came through the youth ranks of Brazilian outfit GO Audax. The midfielder made the switch to Atletico Paranaense in May 2017 and that is where he made quite the impression. In two-and-a-half years at the club, the midfielder racked up 62 appearances, in which he scored and assisted three goals apiece.

In January 2020, Olympique Lyon snapped him up from Atletico Paranaense. He has made five appearances for the club so far.

Bruno Guimaraes, the heir to Busquets?

In Sergio Busquets, they have one of the best holding midfielders in the game. However, he will be 32 by the time the new season resumes and has shown signs of slowing down. In addition, Ivan Rakitic is likely to be sold in the summer, while Arturo Vidal could also be shown the door, which would render the Barcelona midfield lightweight.

Hence, boosting their midfield heading is pivotal for the Blaugrana. And in that regard, adding Bruno Guimaraes would be a smart move for the La Liga leaders. Despite being at Lyon for just a short time, the 22-year-old made quite an impression.

In three of the five matches he played for the club, the Brazilian was voted as the club MVP, including the crucial 1-0 win over Juventus in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. In each of those matches, Guimaraes helped Lyon secure a clean sheet with assured performances.

Furthermore, Guimaraes was a constant fixture in the Brazil U23 side during the qualifying phases for the Olympics. He made seven appearances, as Brazil went unbeaten in the qualifiers (W5 D2). In total, he has made 8 appearances for the U23 setup, assisting two goals.

At 22, the Brazilian has his best years ahead of him. And the given the kind of impact he has already made in his career, he would certainly boost the overall quality of the Barcelona midfield. Moreover, he would add some much-needed depth, especially if Barcelona go ahead with the sales of Rakitic and Vidal.

With experience, Bruno Guimaraes would be ready to replace Busquets as the lynchpin of the Barcelona midfield if he carries forward his current form.

Read More

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• Opinion: Why Barcelona should offload Arturo Vidal permanently
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Verdict

Sergio Busquets is entering the final phase of his career. He will need to be phased out of the first-team at Barcelona in the coming seasons.

Moreover, with the potential departures of Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic, the Catalans will need to add more numbers to the midfield in order to have adequate depth in the squad. Signing Bruno Guimaraes would address both the issues for the La Liga leaders.