Barcelona will try to sign Real Sociedad's supporting midfielder instead of Kimmich

Following the appointment of Hansi Flick as the head coach of Barcelona, the club's transfer strategy is set to change.

According to Diario Sport, the German coach has requested the club to acquire a central midfielder from Real Sociedad, and it is not Martin Zubimendi.

The new transfer target for Barcelona is Mikel Merino. Flick believes that this player would perfectly fit the role that Joshua Kimmich played under him at Bayern Munich.

However, to sign Merino, Barcelona will need to address their Financial Fair Play (FFP) issues.

Merino led the top five leagues last season in the number of duels won, with 326.

The 27-year-old has been playing for Real Sociedad since the summer of 2018. Before that, he had stints with Newcastle, Borussia Dortmund, and Osasuna.