Rumor round-up: Barcelona looking for a striker & left-back, while Valverde wants a smaller squad

Are these contradictory rumors?

Barcelona looking for a striker

Barcelona are still looking for a backup striker, per Mundo Deportivo, although it remains to be seen whether youth player Abel Ruiz can fill that role. If not, the Catalans will look at the market.

“Mystery” left-back

Barcelona have a “hidden” man in mind as their first choice to reinforce the left-back position, and it is neither Junior Firpo or Filipe Luís, once again according to MD. They are not revealing who this “mystery candidate” is but he seems to be the man picked to be Jordi Alba’s deputy.

Valverde wants a smaller squad

This comes from Diario SPORT: Ernesto Valverde swung by to chat with the club’s management and let them know that he wants a smaller squad, which implies accelerating the exits of several fringe players. The coach asking for a smaller squad is a yearly rumor at this point, although it has not necessarily come to fruition yet. More to the point, this rumor seems downright contradictory if the team is adding a backup left-back and a backup striker, in addition to potential signings like Antoine Griezmann and Neymar. Perhaps we will see a lot more exiting players than incoming players?

Source: barcablaugranes.com