Barcelona are reportedly on the verge of securing the signing of Palmeiras midfielder Matheus Fernandes in a deal worth €11m.
The 21-year-old enjoyed a spell at Botafogo prior to his move to Palmeiras last January, as he has bagged three goals and four assists in 87 appearances at senior level.
Predominantly used as a central midfielder, Fernandes has also been deployed in a more defensive role as well as on the right side of the midfield to show some crucial versatility.
It appears as though his form has attracted the attention of Barcelona, and as reported by Mundo Deportivo, via multiple reports in Brazil, the Catalan giants are now on the verge of signing him in a deal worth €11m in total, €7m initially with a further €4m in add-ons.
Such is the confidence that the deal is going to go through, it’s added that Fernandes has said goodbye to his teammates as he envisages the move materialising in the coming days, and so Barca appear to have a midfield reinforcement arriving this month.
That said, there has been no official announcement as of yet, and so until that is released, it remains to be seen if everything goes through without any hitches.
Fernandes though appears set to be the first signing since Quique Setien was appointed as Barcelona boss, and so he’ll potentially be able to call upon the Brazilian youngster to help the reigning La Liga champions continue to compete for major trophies moving forward.
As seen with the signings of Arthur, Frenkie de Jong and now possibly Fernandes, Barcelona appear to have made a point of targeting talented young midfielders, as they arguably look to bring in long-term replacements for stalwarts such as Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic now before leaving it too late.