Italian midfielder a potential target for Barcelona this summer
Following the departure of Franck Kessie to Saudi Arabia, Barcelona is being linked with a potential replacement in Italian midfielder Marco Verratti who has been made available by PSG this summer.
I want to put a disclaimer at the very start of this piece, although the rumour is being pushed by Mundo Deportivo, the original source is the French paper L’Equipe, which has a reputation for putting out some pretty unreliable information.
This isn’t the first time that Verratti has been linked with Barcelona, but it is widely accepted that PSG is looking to move on from the 30-year-old who’s made 276 appearances for the Parisians.
With Ousmane Dembele going the other way, there is an open dialogue between the two clubs at the moment and that could work to expedite things if there is genuine interest.
PSG looking to move on from Verratti this summer
PSG manager Luis Enrique has reportedly made it clear to Verratti that he’s not part of the plans this year, and while he’s been linked with a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League (who hasn’t at this point) as well as the MLS in the United States, he may prefer to stay relevant in European football.
Verratti joined PSG from Abruzzo-based Italian outfit Pescara back in 2012 and has experienced great success in France, he’s also been capped 55 times for Italy on the international level.
A defensive midfielder by his nature, Verratti failed to score last year and registered just one assist in 38 appearances for PSG, but scoring and assisting aren’t really his role.
He’s a combative midfielder who loves breaking up play, and his motor is always hot. He plays a very similar role to the one that Oriol Romeu was brought in to play. If he were to make the move, then you’d think he would automatically start next to Frenkie de Jong in midfield.
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He’s currently valued at around €40 million, and that’s not a price that Barca should be paying for a defensive midfielder, especially when they still need a right back. But as we’ve seen countless times, there are always ways around the financial situation.
One idea is similar in scope to the one for Neymar. A loan deal with the obligation to buy. Even with that, I’m not sure that Verratti is a necessity, he may be more of a luxury at a time when we can ill-afford luxury.
This is a rumour from France and has likely been published to push the agenda of PSG who really want to move Verratti as soon as possible.
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