FC Barcelona Rumors Central: Theo Walcott (L) and Ilkay Gundogan. (Photo : Reuters)
Barcelona winger Rafinha suffered an ACL tear in his right knee during the team's Champions League 1-1 draw with Roma last week and the injury is said to have seriously affected the depth of Luis Enrique's squad.
The 45-year-old Spanish coach is reportedly looking at two players from different leagues to possibly replace the Brazil international in his lineup.
Barça eyes Theo Walcott, Gunners winger open to join Neymar, Suarez at Camp Nou: One of the options of Enrique is Arsenal's 26-year-old English forward who is an able scorer and playmaker for Arsene Wenger's side whenever he is called.
Recent reports said that Walcott is "open" to a transfer to Camp Nou in January once he had heard of the Catalonian giant's interest in him.
It was mentioned that the England international is aspiring to move to Spain to play specifically together with Brazilian captain Neymar and Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez.
However, there were also reports that Wenger is not ready to release his prized attacker and it remains to be seen how Enrique would persuade him when the winter window opens. Verdict: Fact.
Enrique targets Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan to compensate for Rafinha's loss: Enrique is also linked to rumors of eyeing BVB's 24-year-old midfielder in January as a potential replacement for Rafinha.
There were also rumors that Gundogan had long been a target of the Barça boss as the team is actually planning of strengthening their roster once Barcelona's transfer ban is lifted next year.
While the German international is not a straightforward positional substitute to Rafinha like Walcott, he can thrive with Enrique's midfield alongside Andrés Iniesta, Ivan Rakitić, and Javier Mascherano. Verdict: Fact.
