Barcelona Rumors: Catalans Eyeing Brazilian Defender Who Could Replace Gerard Pique

A sought-after Brazilian defender has captured the attention of Barcelona.

Flamengo’s Natan is considered as one of the most remarkable rising stars in Brazil. The 20-year-old is a product of the said club’s youth team and has won the Brazilian Serie A in his first season with the senior team.

Now, Natan could be looking at a brighter future as La Liga’s Barcelona has got its sights locked on him, Sport reported.

According to the report, Barcelona is now keeping tabs on Natan after the central defender after an impressive debut season at Serie A Libertadores.

Natan, who has scored a goal in 14 league appearances for Flamengo, is currently on loan at Red Bull Bragantino until December. He was loaned for a fee of €770,000 ($904,000).

However, should Barca decides to push through with a move for the full-back this summer, the Catalans will have to pay around the region of €70 million ($82 million) as Flamengo injected the said figure to secure his future with the club.

The report added that Natan is “technically good” at the back and has a “very much of a modern center-back” playing style.

What’s even more interesting is that some report already suggests that as early as now, Natan is already an ideal “long-term successor” to Barcelona vice-captain Gerard Pique, who is deemed to be in the twilight years of his career.

Aside from Natan, Emerson is another Brazilian defender also being eyed by Barcelona. The Catalans loaned Emerson to Real Betis in 2018 and are now rumored to be interested in bringing him back to Camp Nou.

However, Emerson’s return to Barcelona wouldn’t be as easy as it sounds as English Premier League club Arsenal is said to be pursuing the 22-year-old.

Addressing his situation, Emerson insists that he is “only” focused on Real Betis and is not thinking about Barcelona or other clubs at the moment.

“I see what comes out in the press, but right now, I am one hundred percent concentrated here,” Emerson recently told Diario De Sevilla. “I don’t think about Barcelona or anyone else, only Betis."

“We have ten important games and we want to get the maximum of them out if possible,” he continued. “When the season is over, then I will start to think about my future.”