Why Barcelona should sign Francisco Trincao this summer

According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Daily Mail), Barcelona are set to seal a £26million deal for Braga winger Francisco Trincao this summer.

The report also suggests that the 20-year-old is expected to join the La Liga giants on July 1 and will sign a five-year deal with them. It has been a breakthrough campaign this term for the young Portuguese, He made his first-team entry last season, making eight appearances for the senior side.

This season, Trincao has impressed for the Portuguese outfit, scoring 7 goals and providing 9 assists. This gives a clear indication of the talent that he is.

A left-footed player, young Trincao is capable of featuring anywhere across the front three but mostly prefers to play on the right wing. Out of his 30 appearances for Braga this season, he has featured 19 times across the right flank, establishing himself as a key player within the current line-up.

A Braga academy graduate, Trincao’s potential was evident last season itself when he emerged the top-scorer in the European under-19 Championship in 2018 with five goals. He also played a crucial role in helping his national side beat Italy in the finals to clinch the European under-19 championship. This saw the youngster earn himself a move to the Braga senior side last season.

In Trincao, Barcelona will have a young but proven winger 

Barca, on the other hand, are in need of reinforcements. The side clearly need new faces across the wings after the departure of star winger Neymar in the summer of 2017.

The Catalans roped in Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund that summer as a replacement for Neymar. However, the French winger has spent most of his time on the sidelines than on the pitch.

Most recently, Barcelona bought Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid last summer. Despite impressing for the La Liga giants with 8 goals and 4 assists in the league, Griezmann is yet to hit peak form. The Frenchman has been forced to play on the right wing but that is not his favoured position. This leaves the Catalans with just one more winger – Ansu Fati.

However, Fati is just 17 and still has a lot to improve, meaning Trincao’s inclusion, by all means, looks like a welcome sign for Barcelona. Hence, they should up their interest in the young Portuguese winger and land him at the Camp Nou soon.

Read more:

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• Why Barcelona should avoid signing Mattia De Sciglio
• Barcelona show interest in talented Lyon new boy Bruno Guimaraes – Could he be the heir to Busquets?

Verdict

Having proved his mettle already for Braga, Trincao will offer boss Quique Setien plenty of options on the wings. This is a position where Barcelona clearly lack depth at the moment. Moreover, he is still very young and can be an excellent future investment. The club already has many ageing players in its midst.