Barcelona spy on two possible transfer targets in France
France Football say Lille strikers Nicolas Pépé and Rafael Leao are interesting to Barca
The goalless draw left a bad taste in Barcelona mouths. Luis Suarez did not play well, again, he hasn't scored for a long time in the Champions League.
Barcelona know the Uruguayan at some point must be replaced and they are looking at Lille's Nicolas Pepe, the Ivory Coast striker.
France Football say Barcelona took advantage of the trip to France for the Champions League to play Lyon to watch Pepe at the weekend. Lille drew 0-0 with Montpellier, but Pepe impressed.
The forward arrived at Lille in the summer of 2017, rejecting offers from Schalke, Sevilla and Lyon. He currently has 16 goals and eight assists in Ligue 1. Impressive numbers that have made him a transfer target. Barca also watched his team-mate Rafael Leao. He's also in good form, with six goals in eight games.
Barca could have a slight advantage in a battle for the players. Lille general director Marc Ingla was a vice-president at Barca and is connected with people there still.
Barca have an agreement with Lille for them to inform the Catalans of any movements on the market for the player - so they know Bayern Munich made an offer for him.
They also are interested in Portuguese forward Leao. However they would like him to stay for another year at Lille as he's very green.
