Mino Raiola has reportedly offered Marco Verratti to Barcelona, with the Blaugrana keen on signing the 29-year-old Italian midfielder.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Marco Verratti remains the subject of interest from Barcelona over a possible move in a future transfer window. The Catalan giants have been offered the chance to sign the 29-year-old midfielder by his agent Mino Raiola, with the player unsettled at Paris Saint-Germain.
Marco Verratti has established himself as one of the best players to have ever played for Paris Saint-Germain since arriving from Pescara in July 2012. Now in his tenth campaign with Les Parisiens, the Italian international has been a key figure for club and country for the better part of the last decade.
To date, Verratti has made 359 appearances for PSG, chipping in with nine goals and 58 assists in the process. However, the 29-year-old is not entirely happy with his situation at Parc des Princes, as he has not been utilised regularly by Mauricio Pochettino this year, injury woes notwithstanding. Such a situation has captured the attention of Barcelona, with Mino Raiola also keen on taking him to Camp Nou.
The Catalan giants hold a long-standing interest in Verratti, having made previous attempts to secure his services. The continued eagerness to sign the Italian midfielder makes sense, considering Frenkie de Jong is surprisingly facing an uncertain future at Barcelona.
Interestingly, the Dutch midfielder has been heavily linked with PSG and could be Barcelona’s golden egg as they look to raise funds for a squad overhaul in next summer’s transfer window. And replacing de Jong will be imperative for Barcelona. To that end, the La Liga heayweights have been linked with several midfielders, including Corentin Tolisso, with Verratti also a viable target.
However, it is worth noting that the last time Barcelona tried to sign Verratti, PSG essentially retaliated by securing the services of Neymar on a world-record deal. This time around, the Ligue 1 heavyweights are likely to launch the offensive for de Jong, with Pochettino an admirer of the ex-Ajax midfielder.
Their strained relations with PSG is another obstacle that Barcelona will need to overcome, as Les Parisiens could slap an excessive price tag on Verratti. For now, it looks like Verratti is ready to join Barcelona, and it remains to be seen if the Blaugrana can convince PSG to sell the 29-year-old for an acceptable sum.
