Marco Verratti is reportedly keen on making the switch from PSG to Barcelona in the summer.
According to a report in Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, Barcelona have been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of Marco Verratti. The Italian midfielder is keen to leave PSG for Camp Nou in the summer transfer window.
Verratti is widely regarded as one of the best central midfielders in the world, having established himself as a key figure for PSG in the last five seasons. One of the first names on the team sheet for Les Parisiens, the player keeps things tight in the centre of the park while also distributing the ball efficiently.
In the recently concluded campaign, Verratti made 43 appearances across all competitions for PSG, while also bagging 3 goals and 8 assists. The Italy international’s time at the Parc des Princes, though, looks set to come to an end in the summer transfer window.
The player’s agent, Donato Di Campli has, on several occasions, played up his exit links by claiming that PSG are failing to match up to his ambitions. As a result, Verratti has fallen on the radars of various clubs, with Barcelona believed to be the front runners in the race to sign him.
The Catalan giants are coming off a massively underwhelming campaign in 2016/17 in which they lost their La Liga title to Real Madrid while also bowing out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals. And as per widespread reports, the club is eager to make reinforcements in midfield as part of their summer rebuild.
Barcelona have failed to fill the void left by Xavi’s departure in 2015, while captain Andres Iniesta is also approaching the end of his glittering Barcelona career. With the likes of Andre Gomes and Denis Suarez failing to stamp their authority at the heart of midfield for the Blaugrana, the need to sign a midfielder has become an urgent one.
Verratti has, thus, been identified as a top priority, although PSG are reluctant to part ways with their prized asset in the summer. Barcelona, though, have reportedly been hoping for the player to force through a summer exit, which is exactly what has happened as per the latest reports.
Verratti has contacted the PSG hierarchy directly to communicate that his time at PSG is over and that he wants to move to Barcelona this summer to fulfill his dream of playing with Lionel Messi. It now remains to be seen if a deal can be struck between the two parties over Verratti’s move to Camp Nou.
