Five Barcelona stars Man Utd and Arsenal could buy in January following Ronald Koeman sack

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Ronaldo Koeman’s nightmare spell as Barcelona manager has finally ended after they sacked him last night. Xavi Hernandez could become the new manager if reports are to be believed – and one of his first jobs could be to overhaul the squad as they look to rebuild and improve their finances. Express Sport takes a look at five stars who could be on their way out of the Nou Camp and may interest Arsenal or Man Utd.

Riqui Puig

The La Masia graduate was majorly overlooked by Koeman last season, making just 14 appearances in La Liga.

And although he is on a similar career path to Xavi, the Matadepera-born midfielder may have decided he needs a fresh start.

A deal may be hard to pull off, but the English Premier League is the most lucrative league in the world and that may be enough to tempt the Spaniard.

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Luuk de Jong

Much of the footballing world was confused when Koeman signed his countryman De Jong, having scored only nine goals in 48 appearances for Sevilla last season.

Standing at 6″2, target men are unlikely to fit into the Barcelona side due to their inherent tiki-taka style of play.

And with Arsenal likely to be in the hunt for a different striking option to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, De Jong could be an attainable option for the Gunners.

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Frenkie De Jong

De Jong was signed from the impressive young Ajax side of 2018-19 as a natural successor to retired Barcelona legends Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

His £70million move was highly heralded, although under the guidance of Koeman he has yet to impress for the Blaugrana.

And with United desperately in need of a central midfielder, alongside Arsenal famed for their passing play, De Jong could be an astute albeit expensive signing.

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Ousmane Dembele

Yet another player who has been underwhelming under Koeman, it is clear to many that Dembele needs a fresh start.

Dembele signed for Barcelona in a £95m move in 2017 but injuries have plagued his time in Catalonia – and interrupted game times have stunted his growth.

With Arsenal lacking any decent back-up on the wings and United’s attacking contingent failing to produce, Dembele could be a spark for both sides.

Francisco Trincao

The young Portuguese winger is currently on loan at Wolves, but has huge resale value that would be worth looking into should Xavi not deem him good enough for the Catalan club.

Bought last season from Braga for £27m, the winger scored three goals in just 28 games in what was a thoroughly disappointing spell at the Camp Nou.

But having excelled at such a young age in Portugal, there is a player in there somewhere that Arsenal or United may want to refine.

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