Luke Shaw could be rescued in miraculous fashion from his nightmare spell at Manchester United.
According to multiple reports, including this one from the Mirror, the England international is being targeted by Barcelona, with the La Liga club eager to pounce for the left back after yet more criticism from his manager Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea and Arsenal are also said to want to sign Shaw who will only have 12 months left on his current contract at the end of the season.
Shaw, still just 22, has been riddled with injuries since arriving at Old Trafford in 2014 for a then world-record fee for a teenager of $42 million.
The attack-minded left back had his fitness criticized by former United boss Louis van Gaal, while Mourinho has hammered Shaw on numerous occasions publicly about his tactical and defensive attributes.
Would a move to Barca be a good move for Shaw?
It’s hard to see him usurping Jordi Alba as Barcelona’s first-choice left back, so that means a role as a squad player with the La Liga leaders. That is perhaps better than playing now and then at United, then being lambasted by Mourinho just when it appears he has turned the corner and is a regular for the Red Devils.
It is believed Shaw feels he is being picked on by Mourinho and is fed up of having his credentials questioned. After recovering from a horror leg break at the start of the 2015-16 season when he was in the form of his life for club and country, Shaw will be eager to play regularly wherever he goes. That may be unlikely at Chelsea, Arsenal or Barcelona, so perhaps a step down to the second-tier of clubs in the Premier League, or abroad, is the way to go.
There’s no doubt that a fully fit, and fully confident, Shaw is still one of the best left backs in the Premier League. Now he just needs to prove it regularly and perhaps go somewhere he feels wanted.