Barcelona want highly valued Inter Milan centre-back

Barcelona are eying Inter Milan’s 70 million euro defender Stefan de Vrij with coach Antonio Conte showing no intentions of selling.

Barcelona are in a desperate need of defensive reinforcements with center-back role needing a priority signing. Despite Gerard Pique‘s continued dominance at the back, the 33-years-old has shown signs of weakness.

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Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet have shared their minutes alongside the Spaniard with the latter proving to be a more consistent alternative. Barca are keen on improving their defense this summer with De Vrij named as a potential option.

Having joined Inter Milan in 2018 after leaving rival club Lazio, the Dutch international has quickly become a key part of Conte’s squad. The 28-year-old played a significant role in the Nerazzurri’s current ‘top three’ position in Serie A.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the Catalan’s interest in the defender has worried the Inter fans as they fear losing their star player. Boss Antonio Conte was quick to disallow the transfer considering how valuable De Vrij is to him, having featured for 30 matches this season.

Calciomercato reports that Conte has placed the defender in non-transferable demanding a fee no less than 70 million euros in the current market. This should surely demotivate the Spanish giants to continue their interest given the current state of their finances.

Barca might look to offer players in exchange to secure the deal especially considering they have ongoing talks concerning Lautaro Martinez. The Spanish side, however, should look elsewhere to secure a talented defender who could be a successor to Pique instead of signing short-term solutions.

Should Barca push for Stefan de Vrij?