Nou Camp side keen on Stamford Bridge defender.
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Barcelona have set their sights firmly on Chelsea defender David Luiz following the Catalan side’s unsuccessful pursuit of PSG centre-back Thiago Silva according to the Daily Mirror.
Newly appointed Nou Camp boss Gerardo Martino will be keen to strengthen his defence and apparently sees the 26 year old Stamford Bridge fan favourite as Barcelona’s number summer transfer target.
Currently Martino has just two effective senior central defensive players to pick from, veteran Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique. Last term Tito Vilanova was forced to turn to Javier Mascherano, and even on occasion Alex Song, to fill spots in makeshift roles.
Jose Mourinho may feel he can afford to lose Luiz given he can turn to John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill but would presumably only do so if Barcelona made a sizable offer for the former Benfica man.
Though it’s true that Luiz can sometimes be defensively naive and is known for being pulled out of position there is no denying the raw ability the Brazilian international possesses and arguably the Blues star could actually be better used in a defensive midfield role where his penchant for pushing forward would not leave Chelsea so exposed at the back.
Luiz has helped Chelsea to Champions and Europa League titles in the past two seasons.
Barcelona are believed to have earmarked a move for Inter Milan veteran Walter Samuel as a possible short-term fix.