Barcelona are reportedly prioritising a Bosman move for Boubacar Kamara and are preparing an offer to reach a pre-contract agreement with the 22-year-old.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Barcelona’s pursuit of Jules Kounde is ending, with another French star emerging as the priority target for them. The Catalan giants have already opened talks with the 22-year-old’s agent and are preparing an offer to reach a pre-contract agreement with the Marseille utility man.
Boubacar Kamara has been with Marseille all his playing life, having joined the club’s academy aged just five in September 2005 before making swift progress through the ranks at the French club. And he made his first-team debut for Les Phoceens in December 2016 when he was still in his teens.
Since then, he has come leaps and bounds and is now a key figure for the Ligue 1 outfit. To date, the 22-year-old has made 139 appearances for Marseille, chipping in with four goals and five assists in the process. His exploits have duly been noted by some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Barcelona.
The interest from Barcelona is understandable, considering they have an urgent need of signing a centre-back. Eric Garcia, who arrived at Camp Nou on a free transfer in the summer, has not impressed much, while Gerard Pique is approaching the end of his glittering career.
In addition, there is rampant uncertainty surrounding the futures of French duo Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet. At the same time, the Catalan giants are also scrambling to secure the long-term future of Ronald Araujo, who has been heavily linked with several Premier League clubs. Kamara has emerged as a viable target for Barcelona in such a scenario.
The French utility man could not only be a central defensive solution for Barcelona but also be in contention to be a long-term successor for Sergio Busquets, who is in the twilight of his career. Kamara is, after all, primarily a defensive midfielder and could well be deployed at Barcelona.
Now, Kamara has become the priority target for the Catalan giants, who have ended their interest in Jules Kounde before turning their attention towards him. And a pre-contract offer is being prepared by Barcelona, with Joan Laporta already establishing contact with the 22-year-old’s agent. What now remains to be seen is if Kamara ends up joining Barcelona next summer or some other suitor poaches him away instead.
