Barcelona will reportedly make a staggering bid of £87.8m for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti, according to reports in Italy.
New boss Ernesto Valverde will be hoping that the club reinforce the squad this summer, with the Catalan giants looking to compete next season after missing out on the La Liga title and Champions League this time round.
According to Italian journalist Paolo Bargiggia, as reported by The Sun, they are plotting a monster bid for Verratti, with claims that his agent, Donato Di Campli, will meet with Barcelona bosses in Milan on Monday to discuss a potential deal.
Further, L’Equipe report that Verratti wants to leave PSG, and after meeting sporting director Antero Henrique he has communicated his desire to the club although chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi doesn’t want him to leave.
The Italian international is one of the top midfield playmakers in Europe, and ultimately his technical quality and all-round game arguably make him a perfect fit for Barca as they look to replace the older statesmen in the team.
The likes of Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets will eventually have to be replaced, but it remains to be seen how much backing Valverde gets immediately.
There is scepticism though in terms of Barcelona’s spending power, as that is a lot of money for a club that has been constantly linked with financial limitations in recent years.
Nevertheless, there’s no doubting the kind of impact that he could make and if there is a possibility that he will leave the French capital this summer, then it seems as though Barca will at least explore their chances of signing him.
PSG remain in a strong position though, as the 24-year-old still has four years remaining on his current contract, making that price-tag sound about right.