Kevin Jairaj – USA Today Sports
Barcelona’s goalkeeper Victor Valdes is reportedly leaving the team at this season’s end, and there has been much speculation about where he will end up playing next year as he’s been highly coveted due to his proven track record and international experience.
The rumors have indicated potential landing spots in the Premier League, the Serie A and even the Bundesliga, where he could re-unite with Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich. Several other sides like French big-spenders PSG and Monaco can’t be taken out as they seem to be after each and every quality player on the world.
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To know Valdes’ insight, however, there’s no better source than the actual player, and he told reporters in an interview that “Monaco is only one of the teams I could play for next season”.
And if Monaco are able to pull this move, they could be automatically considered as European contenders.
The Ligue 1 side already have a strong team in both midfield in attack where Radamel Falcao gathers all the attention, and he’s well rounded by quality players like Geoffrey Kondogbia, James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho. Their defensive line, however, is another story as it remains suspect at best, and they don’t have a proven goalkeeper in Sergio Romero.
He is certainly a capable shot-stopper, but he doesn’t have Valdes’ pedigree and experience.
Valdes’ signing would change that scenario in a heartbeat. The arrival of the current Barcelona goalkeeper would show to the world that Les Rouge et Blanc are looking to compete now and they could even attract some more world-class players to continue their European efforts, as they seem to be locked in next year’s Champions League due to their domination of the French league so far.
Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev should do everything in his power to lure Victor Valdes. It can be a powerful statement for a team that’s taking giant steps towards respectability all around the world.
Juan Pablo Aravena is a soccer writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jparavenarant or add him to your network on Google
