Barcelona might look to sign 22-year-old German-born Serbian midfielder Lazar Samardzic from Serie A club Udinese in the summer transfer window.
According to a report by Spanish outlet SPORT, Lazar Samardzic is the subject of interest from Barcelona. The reigning La Liga champions are in the market for a midfielder heading into the summer transfer window. And the 22-year-old Udinese midfielder, whose release clause is worth €35 million, has thus emerged as a viable target.
Who is Lazar Samardzic?
Lazar Samardzic has established himself as one of the best young midfielders in Serie A in the last two years. A native of Berlin, the youngster spent his formative years at four German clubs before graduating from the youth division at Hertha BSC. A short spell at RB Leipzig followed before he joined Udinese in August 2021.
Since then, he has come leaps and bounds, becoming a mainstay in the middle of the park for the Serie A club. The 22-year-old has enjoyed a solid 2023/24 campaign thus far, chipping in with three goals and two assists in 25 league outings. Meanwhile, Samardzic’s progress has not gone unnoticed, capturing the attention of several high-profile clubs, including Barcelona.
Barcelona Calling?
Barcelona signed two midfielders in last summer’s transfer window, with Oriol Romeu and Ilkay Gundogan in cost-effective operations. But both midfielders are on the wrong side of 30, with the latter failing to make his mark this season.
Romeu will likely leave Barcelona in the summer transfer window to seek regular game time elsewhere. In addition, Gundogan is only a short-term solution in the middle of the park for the Blaugrana. So, it behoves Barcelona to invest in a young midfielder who can be a long-term asset for the club.
Several candidates, including Ederson, have thus emerged on Barcelona’s radar. But Lazar Samardzic is also a viable target for the reigning La Liga champions. But Barcelona will face stiff competition from Serie A giants Inter Milan and Napoli for the German-born midfielder, whose release clause is worth €35 million.
Samardzic’s release clause of €35 million makes him an affordable target for Barcelona. The Catalan giants now only need to beat Inter Milan and Napoli to sign him from Serie A club Udinese in the summer transfer window.
