Rumour: €100 million rated superstar wants to join Barcelona
What’s the story?
Italian daily La Gazetto dello Sport is reporting that long-time Barcelona target Marco Verratti has told his current employers PSG “Let me go to Barca, I do not want to come back to PSG.” This comes as a shock to the PSG hierarchy who had insisted earlier this month that they were not a selling club and that the Italian midfield magician was not for sale. The Parisians had early put his transfer value at €100 million to deter any potential suitors.
In case you didn’t know
Barcelona legend and philosophy-keeper Xavi Hernandez had earlier waxed lyrical about Verratti saying: “Verratti would be the ideal signing for Barcelona in my opinion. I think [he] is a bit like me. He always goes in search of the ball quite deep on the pitch and then takes it forward and dictates play. [He] is small just like me and he never loses the ball. His technique is incredible.He is a player I would love to see at Barcelona.”
Barcelona’s hierarchy and it’s demanding fans are unlikely to get a more ringing endorsement for any of their ‘targets’.
The heart of the matter
It has been pointed out by a number of analysts that Barcelona’s midfield is the main issue that the Catalan outfit are facing, and you need only have seen a couple of Barcelona matches last season to verify this assessment. Without their heartbeat, Xavi, and wth Andres Iniesta running on what looks like the last fumes in those aging legs their most potent weapon has now become their biggest weakness.
This is where Verratti comes in and the Barcelona set-up rate him as the one man that can solve this massive conundrum of theirs.
Video
For those few who haven’t seen Verratti in action, here’s a small teaser:
Not too shabby, eh?
Author’s Take
If Barcelona were to trump up the €100 million that PSG have stamped on the Italian’s forehead, it is hard to see PSG say no – especially as the player himself seems to want an exit from the club he’s spent five seasons after the nouveau riche club scouted him playing for Serie B’s Pescara in 2012. While the Italian has hoovered up four Ligue 1’s in that time frame and stamped his authority all over France in the past half-decade, PSG’s frustrations on the continental stage appear to have gotten to Verratti.
Moving to Barcelona, then, would be a win-win for both parties... Verratti gets a proper shot at the title that has eluded him while Barcelona buy themselves a player around whom they can rebuild their midfield.