Monday, 4th January 2010
With the African Cup of Nations set to begin, Barcelona will have to cope without holding midfielders Seydou Keita of Mali and Yaya Toure of the Ivory Coast. The loss of the two for the January period could force manager Pep Guardiola into the transfer market.
According to Spanish paper Marca, the Catalan giants are eyeing PSV Eindhoven’s Ibrahim Afellay and Sporting Lisbon’s Miguel Veloso to fill the void in the defensive midfield position.
Guardiola has preferred Keita this season, with Toure playing mostly second fiddle to the Malian international – a situation that once sparked speculation that the Ivory Coast native was looking for a move away from the Camp Nou. Despite the situation being resolved, the participation of the duo in the African Cup of Nations could lead to more competition as deliberation continues over the possibility of adding a midfielder to cope with a busy January period.
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