Barcelona have reportedly established contact with 30-year-old Real Betis defender Marc Bartra, enquiring about his situation.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Marc Bartra has popped up on the radar of former club Barcelona over a possible move in a future transfer window. The 30-year-old Real Betis defender has been approached by the Blaugrana, who have enquired about his situation.
Marc Bartra spent most of his formative years with Barcelona before graduating from their youth setup nearly a decade ago. However, the Spanish international struggled to establish himself as a regular for Barcelona before joining Borussia Dortmund in July 2016. The move to Dortmund did not work out as envisioned either, and Bartra returned to La Liga by joining Real Betis in January 2018.
To date, the 30-year-old has made 124 appearances for the Andalusian club, chipping in with six goals and two assists in the process. Bartra’s progress at Real Betis has not gone unnoticed, with former club Barcelona weighing up the possibility of snapping him up.
Widespread reports have tipped Barcelona to be in the market for a centre-back, and for a good reason. That is because Samuel Umtiti has been deemed surplus to requirements by the Blaugrana, while Clement Lenglet has endured a dramatic dip in performance levels in the last year.
In addition, Oscar Mingueza has blown hot and cold this season, while summer signing Eric Garcia has flattered to deceive for the most part. Barcelona’s only reliable central defender seems to be Ronald Araujo, who is reportedly eyeing a move to Chelsea, thereby putting the club in a spot of bother.
As a result, the Catalan giants have recently been linked with several centre-backs, including Matthias Ginter. To that end, Bartra is also a viable target for Barcelona, although their interest in the 30-year-old only appears to be at an exploratory stage. Nonetheless, Bartra’s camp has been contacted by Barcelona.
With the Spanish international’s contract with Real Betis set to run out in a little over 18 months, a cut-price move could be on the cards for Barcelona. However, it remains to be seen if the La Liga heavyweights firm up their interest in their former defender in the weeks to come.
