Barcelona have reportedly been given an opportunity to sign former Manchester United player Jesse Lingard.
Lingard departed from Old Trafford at the close of the 21/22 season and subsequently joined Nottingham Forest.
During his tenure with the Red Devils, Lingard amassed a total of 232 appearances in various competitions, netting 35 goals, including the decisive goal in the 2016 FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.
At the culmination of the 23/24 season, Lingard departed from Forest after his contract expired.
Since then, the midfielder has trained with clubs such as West Ham United and Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq.
Despite this, the 31-year-old remains unattached as the 23/24 season approaches its midpoint.
However, the Englishman has presently been linked with a move to Spain.
As per Spanish news outlet SPORT, Barcelona have been presented with the opportunity to acquire Lingard on a free transfer.
The proposal to secure the former United player emerged following reports that Barcelona manager Xavi is eager to bolster his squad with an additional midfielder in the winter transfer window.
Yet, owing to Barcelona’s persisting financial challenges, the club might be compelled to acquire someone at a reduced cost or even on a free transfer.
Consequently, with Lingard requiring no transfer fee, he has been put forward to the Catalan club.
Earlier, Talksport reported that Lingard might receive a short-term contract offer from Everton.
Sean Dyche’s team, operating on a limited transfer budget, may consider extending a contract to Lingard for the remainder of the season. This move aims to aid their efforts in avoiding relegation, especially after a 10-point deduction due to financial sustainability rule breaches.
On the other other hand, Barcelona presently sit third in the La Liga table, trailing seven points behind Real Madrid and Girona.
Ahead of the January transfer window last month, Xavi hinted that the club might be active in bringing in new players.
"We always want to reinforce the pieces we are missing. With Gavi's injury, we need a player with that profile, it’s clear," he had said.
