LONGFORD born Jesse Lingard has been linked with a shock move to Barcelona, as the former Manchester United man rushes to find a new club in the January transfer window.

Lingard, who has been without a club since his release by Nottingham Forrest at the close of the 2022/23 season, has recently hired a new team of agents to try and force a return to football.

The former Forrest man finds himself in last chance saloon, with his one-year spell in Nottingham being less than impressive, and now finding himself in his 30s.

This potential Barcelona move may come as a lifeline to revitalise his career then, with Xavi’s side strapped for cash and struggling to make improvements to the side whilst staying within financial fair play regulations.

According to Mundo Deportivo, a Spanish daily newspaper, Lingard is a potential option being looked at by Barcelona to add to the side in January. Whilst the Catalan giants find themselves in the last 16 of the Champions League against Napoli, their domestic season has been a relative disaster for their standards so far, with the club languishing in fourth place.

Whilst the move for Lingard is a surprising one, this is not the first time he has made their shortlist, with Xavi considering the forward on a list of targets in 2022. They instead moved for Ferran Torres from Manchester City.

Lingard’s wages are not expected to be an issue, as the Beaumont High School alumnus reportedly views this as a great opportunity to revive his career at the highest level.

This comes following a month of training with Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq, however, a move did not materialise as the parties were unable to agree on a financial package.

Whilst Lingard can be signed domestically at any time due to being a free agent, Barcelona would need to sign the Longford man by February 2 to register him for Europe.