Barcelona and Newcastle United have reportedly submitted an enquiry to sign 26-year-old Belgian international Jason Denayer in the summer.
According to a report by Belgian outlet Het Nieuwsblad, Jason Denayer has emerged on the radar of Barcelona over a possible Bosman move in the summer transfer window. The Catalan giants have submitted an enquiry for the Belgian international, a target for Newcastle United, Napoli, and Juventus.
Jason Denayer has found a stable footing in his career since joining Lyon from Manchester City in August 2018. Over the last three and a half years, the 26-year-old has gone from strength to strength, establishing himself as one of the best defenders in Ligue 1 while also becoming a regular for the Belgian national side.
To date, Denayer has made 136 appearances for Lyon, chipping in with eight goals and two assists in the process. But the Belgian international faces an uncertain future at the Groupama Stadium as he has entered the final six months of his contract, with developments over a renewal being slow. Such a situation has captured the attention of Barcelona.
Barcelona might need to enter the transfer market for a centre-back for a second successive summer. That is because Eric Garcia’s performances have left a lot to be desired since his return from Manchester City, while Gerard Pique is in the twilight of his career and will likely start getting phased out soon.
At the same time, Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti’s statures have reduced considerably at Camp Nou, with the French duo facing an uncertain future at Barcelona. The Blaugrana will thus need to sign a centre-back in the summer transfer window, especially with Ronald Araujo yet to sign a new contract amid interest from Chelsea and Manchester United.
To that end, several centre-backs, including Jules Kounde, have been linked with Barcelona, with Denayer also a viable target. With the 26-year-old likely to become a free agent in the summer as things stand, Barcelona will be attracted by the idea of landing him on a Bosman move.
But Barcelona will have to fend off competition from Newcastle United, Juventus and Napoli, who, like them, have submitted enquiries for the Belgian international. But Lyon will be eager to tie Denayer down to a new contract, and it will be interesting to see if a Bosman move to Barcelona comes to fruition.
