A difficult summer awaits Barcelona as the Catalan giants plan a number of raids on top players who ply their trade at equally weighty clubs, who will take some convincing to sell on their star men.
High on the list at the Camp Nou will be a new right-back as well as a freshening up of their central midfield options, having seen Andres Iniesta’s impact drop off in the past season as well as the decline of Sergio Busquets and the fact they’ve never really replaced Xavi.
Therefore Barcelona have Premier League duo Hector Bellerin and Coutinho high on their list of targets, along with Marco Verratti and Marquinhos of Paris Saint-Germain.
The issue with negotiating with these clubs is that they have lofty ambitions of their own and it’s also not usual practice in England or France to instil release clauses in player’s contracts, demanding that the Blaugrana negotiate a fee with extremely wealthy counterparts.
To set the wheels in motion, the LaLiga outfit need the players themselves to request a move and Verratti has hinted at this so far, the Italian’s agent Donato Di Campli stating that his client wants a meeting with PSG in the summer to discuss his future.
A similar situation is unfolding with Marquinhos, as the Brazilian defender enters his prime and begins to seek assurances about how competitive Les Parisiens will be, in comparison to potential worldbeaters Barcelona at least.
However, Liverpool have no interest in even discussing attacking midfielder Coutinho’s sale and Arsenal are reluctant to do so with Bellerin, a player who is unlikely to push for a move – especially if Arsene Wenger remains coach.
Striking deals in the upcoming summer is set to be a lengthy, and very expensive, process for the Azulgrana, then, at a time when a new coach will need to hit the ground running to challenge for titles.
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