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FC Schalke 04 interested in another Barcelona loan acquisition

By Kevin Parvizi

Todibo of Barcelona controls the ball during the UEFA Champions League group F match between Inter and FC Barcelona at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on December 10, 2019 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Todibo of Barcelona controls the ball during the UEFA Champions League group F match between Inter and FC Barcelona at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on December 10, 2019 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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FC Schalke 04 acquired FC Barcelona left back prospect Juan Miranda on loan for the 2019-2020 season, and although they have only begun playing him recently due to injuries at center back, they are interested in acquiring an actual center back on loan from La Blaugrana.

Injuries have hit FC Schalke 04 hard at the center back position this season. Salif Sane suffered a serious knee injury in early November after Benjamin Stambouli broke a bone in his foot in the Revierderby, Matija Nastasic has dealt with Achilles’ and knee injuries, and emergency center back option Weston McKennie recently went down with a dislocated shoulder.

Although Nastasic and Stambouli should be healthy for the Ruckrunde, the Royal Blues have been monitoring the winter market for cheap center back depth. A reunion with Naldo is always possible, but Schalke have now been linked with a promising Barcelona prospect.

According to a report from FootMercato.net, Schalke are among seven clubs monitoring Barca center back and defensive midfielder Jean-Clair Todibo. AC Milan, Watford, Monaco, and Southampton have all been linked, while fellow Bundesliga clubs Bayer Leverkusen and Hertha Berlin are also interested.

Among those seven teams, Schalke have the most prestige and are the most likely to qualify for the Champions League, but Barcelona care more about the playing time Todibo would receive.

Todibo is available for a loan over the final six months of the 2019-2020 season. The Royal Blues already have a defender from Barca on loan in left back Juan Miranda, who received zero minutes of playing time before McKennie dislocated his shoulder in December against Eintracht Frankfurt, forcing Miranda into the lineup at left back with regular starter Bastian Oczipka shifting over to center back.

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Despite Miranda entering the lineup, Barcelona were reportedly unhappy with the player’s lack of game time, even considering terminating the loan. It will be interesting to see if this affects Barcelona’s willingness to loan Todibo to the Royal Blues.

It’s not a disaster if Die Knappen can’t add the versatile Todibo to their defensive depth for the final six months, but the 20-year-old could be a nifty addition to the squad. Todibo is a very promising prospect who has even appeared in a handful of games for Barcelona’s first team.