Barcelona and Manchester United have reportedly received a major boost in their pursuit of Boubacar Kamara, with Marseille ready to let him leave.
According to a report from the Express, Barcelona and Manchester United transfer target Boubacar Kamara has been given the permission to leave Ligue outfit Olympique Marseille by the club’s president, Pablo Longoria.
A product of the Marseille youth academy, Kamara made his senior debut for the club back in 2017 and has swiftly grown into a key player. Till date, the 21-year-old has accumulated 99 appearances for the French outfit, scoring an assisting three goals apiece.
Having initially burst onto the scenes as a centre-back, Kamara has moulded himself into one of the top young defensive midfielders in Ligue 1 currently. And with his contract with Marseille expiring in 18 months, a number of clubs across Europe have been casting admiring glances towards the Frenchman.
Barcelona have been heavily linked with a move for Kamara in recent weeks and understandably so. The Blaugrana have been left light in the centre-back department after a serious injury to veteran star Gerard Pique. That, coupled with Samuel Umtiti’s unreliability has made the Catalans prioritise a move for a new central defender in January.
In addition, Barcelona will also need to slowly phase out Sergio Busquets from the team, with the Spaniard not getting any younger and his form deteriorating. Kamara could thus be an ideal long-term replacement for Busquets, while he could also help plug the gap at the back until Pique returns, owing to his versatility.
Manchester United, too, are believed to be interested in securing the services of the 21-year-old Kamara. Much like Barcelona, the Red Devils will also need to bring in a new holding midfielder in the near future in order to replace the ageing Nemanja Matic.
Declan Rice has been suggested as a player that could help improve Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. But with West Ham unlikely to sell their key asset on the cheap, Kamara could be a more feasible alternative for Manchester United, given that he too can play in defence as well as midfield much like the England international.
Both Barcelona and Manchester United have received a boost in their chase for the Frenchman as Marseille president Longoria has hinted that there is a chance Kamara could be sold in January. “If players are attractive, you have to be ready to replace them,” he said speaking of Kamara and his teammate Duje Caleta-Car.
If recent reports are to be believed Kamara might command a transfer fee of €60 million. It remains to be seen if either of the two clubs do make a move for the France U-21 international.
