Barça apparently negotiating the signing of Mario Gomez

Barça apparently negotiating the signing of Mario Gomez

The striker that should close the chapter on Barça's incorporations this summer could turn out to be Mario Gomez.

The experienced German forward, a Fiorentina player who was on loan at Besiktas last season, is thought to be negotiating with the Catalan club, and also Borussia Dortmund, to discuss a possible transfer.

According to the general manager of the Turkish club Besiktas, in comments made to Anadolu press agency, Gomez will not return to Turkey, and is unlikely to again wear the Fiorentina shirt.

Metin Albayrak said: "Our fans hope to see him again at Besiktas, but we know it will be difficult to see him return here.

"Mario is in negotiations with Barça and (Borussia) Dortmund. 

"It is not easy for us."

The player decided not to continue his career in Turkey due to the tense political situation in the country.

The attempted coup d'etat some days ago convinced Mario Gomez to change his plans, something he announced publicly.

"The reason is completely due to the political situation", he explained.

The forward, who would provide Barça with a goal threat, experience and aerial ability, called his time at Besiktas "a fantastic year", as he scored 28 goals in 41 games.

Gomez began his career at Stuttgart, before joining Bayern Munich. Following four years at the Bavarian club, he began his adventure in Italy, an experience ruined by a serious knee injury.

Having had difficulty in reasserting himself as an important player at Fiorentina after his recuperation, he went on loan to Turkey last term and succeeded.

Though Barça's original idea was to bring in a young forward, the club is open to studying all options.

In any case, the starting centre forward of the German national team meets the profile that Luis Enrique requested a few weeks back:

"We need a striker who can score goals, even though he has less dribbling abilities."

Without doubt, Gomez is a striker who always has the opposition's goal in his sights.

The fact that Fiorentina are interested in Cristian Tello is an added bonus, as this opens up the possibility of a swap deal involving the two players.