Barcelona are reportedly interested in 28-year-old Italian international Leonardo Spinazzola, who is also a target for rivals Real Madrid.
According to a report by reputed Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, the race to sign Leonardo Spinazzola in the summer transfer window is intensifying. Real Madrid are no longer the only big-name La Liga club showing an interest in the AS Roma defender, who is also a target for fierce rivals Barcelona now.
Leonardo Spinazzola had already seen his stock skyrocket on the back of a solid 2020/21 campaign. His star, though, has continued to ascent further courtesy top-notch performances for Italy at UEFA Euro 2020, having been awarded the Man of the Match award in two of the Azzurri’s four games so far.
As a result, some of the marquee names of European football have invariably cast admiring glances towards the 28-year-old, with one of his suitors being Spanish giants Real Madrid. The Merengues, though, now face stiff competition for Spinazzola from bitter La Liga rivals Barcelona.
The continued interest from Real Madrid is intriguing, considering there have been suggestions from reliable sources that Marcelo is unlikely to be sold this summer. In fact, the veteran Brazilian defender is set to become the new club captain for Los Blancos following the departure of Sergio Ramos.
With Ferland Mendy already going strong at the club, it will be interesting to see how Spinazzola will be accommodated if signed by Real Madrid. On the other hand, Barcelona have a more straightforward need for a left-back, seeing as Junior Firpo does not seem to have a future at Camp Nou amid heavy links with Leeds United.
With Jordi Alba also touted for a potential summer exit from some quarters, signing a top-class left-back is imperative for Barcelona. To that end, the Blaugrana have been linked with Marcos Alonso, Jose Gaya and Javi Galan, among others, with Spinazzola seemingly emerging as a serious target as well now.
In fact, as per the report, Barcelona have already lodged an enquiry for the 28-year-old, which goes to suggest that they could perhaps launch the offensive for him soon. In such a scenario, Real Madrid would be well advised to be ready to make a concrete offer themselves if they hold a serious interest in him.
For now, the race to sign Leonardo Spinazzola from AS Roma in the summer transfer window just got more interesting. What now remains to be seen is if Barcelona can quickly manage to snap him up or if Real Madrid can stay clear of their fierce rivals in pursuit of the Italian international.