Barcelona Transfers: 5 Players for Barca To Target Next Summer

Barcelona may not venture into the January transfer window for reinforcements—except in the unlikely event that someone leaves—but next summer is another matter altogether.

In the past summer window there were questions as to whether or not Barcelona should buy big considering its financial problems.

Some nifty work by the board allowed for two high-class and highly expensive signings—Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez—to join the club. While Barcelona do not necessarily need to buy big again, it is always a possibility.

Here is a list of players that Barcelona could and maybe should target during the summer.

Alberto Botia hits all the check marks for a solid summer buy: former youth product; La Liga experience; cheap price.

Buying Botia would give the Catalans much-needed depth at the back and may even help the team squeeze another good year out of Carles Puyol.

While Javier Mascherano has proven more than capable at the position and the fact is that this may be part of Pep Guardiola's master plan, it would still be nice to have a natural central defender in the midst.

Botia would certainly get better training alongside the likes of Puyol and Gerard Pique and Guardiola should have no hesitation putting him in the lineup considering his knowledge of La Liga football.

Okay, maybe I am jumping on the Jordi Alba bandwagon a little bit here but it is just a thought. Alba is another youth product who—in time—could be a good starter for both Barcelona and Spain.

Eric Abidal is still in contract talks and though it is more than likely those will be concluded successfully, there is the chance he could leave. Even if Abidal stays there is no certainty Brazilian defender Maxwell will stay either.

Adriano is capable of filling in at both full-back positions but signing Alba—and the possibility of Martin Montoya filling for Dani Alves consistently—would enable Adriano to push further up the field, giving Barcelona even more depth up front. And, just as before, in the case of a major injury Adriano could step back to the defense.

At the moment, it seems Alba may already be looking toward a summer move.

This says it all. Okay, maybe not. Neymar may be headed to the Spanish capital but there is no real shortage of Brazilian talent for Barcelona to choose from.

Signing Oscar would definitely be a long-term project.

Thiago and Cesc Fabregas are already in line to take over from Xavi and Iniesta—though Iniesta, at 27, has at least four more years in him—and there is also Ibrahim Affellay to fill out the wings or in the middle.

That being said, Oscar is still a viable option to not only add depth but also another creative talent for Pep Guardiola to mold. To see Barcelona buy young would be against the norm considering the talent available in the youth ranks, but Oscar could be worth it.

Barcelona is not in need of a top goalkeeper for a few years but they could look long term with Alphonse Areola.

The young PSG goalkeeper is still on the sidelines for the French club after they brought in Salvatore Sirigu from Palermo. Sirigu is only 24 so it is likely that he will be the No. 1 keeper for some time. Areola is thought to be in high regard after attracting interest from Manchester United during the summer.

At Barcelona, Areola would still be on the bench but he would be learning from one of the best goalkeepers in the world and he would have a shorter waiting period for a starting berth. The fact that he is under contract until 2016 may prove a small bump in the road.

If Barcelona still wants to splash the cash over the summer, there is no better way to do it than with Thiago Silva.

If Milan falter this year and Barcelona continue to excel, Silva may just fancy a move. The Brazilian defender would surely slot right into the side next to Gerard Pique and make Barcelona an even more formidable team in the process.

If reports are true, Barcelona will do all they can to sign the Brazilian.