Barcelona primed to fix problem position with January raid for tremendous Ligue 1 talent

LaLiga giants Barcelona are reportedly preparing a potential January transfer window raid on French club Lille for a top goalkeeping talent.

The Catalan side are currently in the process of trying to tie down their key performers to restructured contracts due to their ongoing financial constraints, but they remain on the hunt for fresh additions to their squad ahead of the winter window.

One area they are looking closely at is the goalkeeping position, having lost Marc-Andre ter Stegen to a ruptured right patella tendon at the end of September.

The Germany international is expected to miss the majority of the rest of the season, prompting Barcelona to lure veteran Pole Wojciech Szczesny out of retirement to help fill the void.

But with the January window just months away, Miguel Rico from Sport claims that Lille stopper Lucas Chevalier is very much on the club’s radar.

The 22-year-old has already established himself as the undisputed first-team regular at the Ligue 1 outfit and has almost 100 competitive appearances for the club.

Indeed, Chevalier is regarded as one of the most talented young goalkeepers in world football, with Barca feeling he is capable of becoming ter Stegen’s long-term successor at the Camp Nou.

Acquiring the services of the France Under-21 will be no easy feat, however, given that Chevalier remains under contract until the summer of 2027. He is currently valued at €25million (£21m, $27m) on Transfermarkt.

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Lille stopper showcasing his talents

Chevalier has been with Lille since 2014, progressing through the youth team at the club before making his first-team debut in 2021, and he has since represented Les Dogues on 94 occasions in all competitions.

The stopper has kept 37 clean sheets in his 94 outings for Lille, including six shut-outs in 15 appearances during the 2024/25 campaign.

The goalkeeper has not missed a single minute of Lille’s season so far and also featured in three Champions League outings, against Sporting Lisbon and Spanish giants Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona are not the only club interested in his services though, with Manchester City and Newcastle also keen.

Interestingly, he is not the only Lille player Barcelona have been tracking, with Canada international striker Jonathan David also mentioned as a January option.

David’s contract expires at the end of the current season and he is free to discuss signing a pre-contract with clubs outside of France from January.

Latest Barcelona transfer news: De Jong price set / Arsenal target Torres

Manchester United continue to show ‘strong interest’ in Frenkie de Jong and Barcelona have reportedly named their price for the Dutch midfielder.

The Red Devils were heavily linked with the 27-year-old in 2022 – Erik ten Hag’s first summer at Old Trafford – but he rejected their advances.

But, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Barcelona have ‘set a price’ for De Jong to leave as they look to generate funds to ease their ongoing financial struggles.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are interested in landing Barcelona forward Ferran Torres after learning that they will be unable to sign his team-mate Raphinha, as per a report.

TBR Football claim that Arsenal are one of several Premier League clubs keen on Torres, with manager Mikel Arteta a ‘huge fan’ of the former Manchester City ace.