08 January 2024 , 17:12
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Ex- Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard has offered his services to European heavyweights Barcelona.
Lingard, 31, was released by Nottingham Forest in June last year and remains without a club. Now the 32-time England international wants to use the January transfer window to get back into football, having trained with former loan side West Ham and then Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq in the early stages of this season.
Seemingly keen to remain in Europe, though, a report from Barcelona-based outlet Sport claims that Lingard has offered himself to the La Liga champions. Lingard is said to view Barca as 'an excellent springboard' to revive his fading career.
Boss Xavi has been informed that the 31-year-old would be an affordable option to bolster his squad mid-season, with Lingard available on a free transfer and expected to cost less than €2million (£1.7m) in wages between now and the end of this season.
Despite Barcelona making a number of cheap signings in recent years due to their perilous financial predicament, it'd be a shock to see Lingard lining up for the Blaugrana in the coming weeks. Xavi's side are struggling in their fight to retain the Spanish title, but the club legend-turned-manager still has plenty of attacking options, while it's conceding goals which has been the problem.
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Lingard has received contract offers from all over the world, including in North America, Turkey and as mentioned prior, Saudi Arabia. That was where he trained with Al-Ettifaq's first-squad, who are managed by Steven Gerrard and captained by fellow ex- Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson.
The former West Ham loanee eventually parted ways with the Saudi club and was spotted in Dubai over the festive period. Speaking during the summer transfer window, Lingard revealed that he was open-minded about his next destination. "I'm considering all options," he told Sky Sports.
Xavi could sign Jesse Lingard on a free transfer (Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Your turn! Should Barcelona sign Jesse Lingard? Join the debate in the comments section.
"I've never ruled out any team or club out, so for me it's just picking the right team and it's got to be right for me. I just want to play football at the end of the day and that's all I want to do. Obviously the project has got to be well suited for me, the team's got to be moving in the right direction but just regular game-time - I'm still hungry."