Barcelona Fed Up In Pursuit Of Verratti: Could Move For Ander Herrera Instead
Jul 8, 2017 at 10:37 AM
Catalan giants Barcelona endured a tough campaign last season as they failed to lift the league title or the Champions League title, ending Luis Enrique’s stellar stint with the club with a poor campaign.
The Spanish side have already replaced Enrique with Ernesto Valverde and will now have to concentrate on improving a few areas in the squad this summer.
This has seen them linked with some of the finest players in world football for a move this summer but Barcelona are looking at particular players to solve problems at particular positions in the squad.
One position that they want to improve on extensively is the midfield position.
With Andres Iniesta not in his prime anymore, Barca need a genuine midfielder who can establish himself in the first team instantly and they are already looking at some of the biggest names in Europe in this position.
Verratti top transfer target
And Italian superstar Marco Verratti is reportedly at the top of the wishlist for Barcelona for a move this summer.
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The PSG star has fast grown into one of the best midfielders in Europe recently and has been a transfer target for the Catalan giants for quite a while now.
They failed to land him last summer but the La Liga outfit are now ready to do whatever it takes to lure him to the Camp Nou this summer.
Verratti himself wants this move done in the upcoming days but the financial power of the French club, along with their desire to keep the player, at least for another season, might see the Spanish side miss out on their top transfer target this summer.
Alternatives
And reports from Spain now suggest that they are already looking at alternatives for Verratti, in case they are not able to land him before the start of the next season.
While Spanish U21 Dani Ceballos is still a transfer target, Barcelona wants a more established midfielder in the side and want Verratti at all costs.
But according to reports from Marca, Brazilian star Paulinho is their Plan B at the moment.
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Paulinho is currently plying his trade in China, for Guangzhou Evergrande and Barcelona have already had a bid of around €20m rejected for him this summer.
So they will have to keep their options open and Manchester United’s Ander Herrera is also reportedly an option for Valverde next season.
OGC Nice’s Jean Michael Seri and Southampton’s Oriol Romeu are also reportedly on the radar of the Spanish club for a move this summer.