Ernesto Valverde's side, FC Barcelona, are looking to bolster their midfield this summer. They want to find a suitable replacement for ageing Andres Iniesta.
The Catalans have had a tough season, winning only Copa Del Rey. They lost La Liga to historic rivals Real Madrid, and got kicked out from Champions League quarter final by Italian giants, Juventus.
Barca's midfield was disasterous, with Andre Gomez failing to make an impact, and the diappointing form of both, Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic.
There have been rumours linking Marco Verratti with the Blaugrana, but Paris Saint Germain will refuse any offer for the dynamo.
The French giants have a clear plan. Their objective is to succeed in Europe and if that is going to happen, they must keep their key players.
Moreover, the club is one of the richest clubs in the world which means they don't have to sell players for money, and no price can lure them.
This barrier led Barcelona to search for other options to strengthen their midfield.
According to Sky Sports, the Catalans are keen on signing Atletico Madrid's Saul Niguez. Barcelona are ready to pay €80 million for their long-time-target. But Atletico Madrid are banned from bringing new players to the Vicente Calderon, by FIFA. This means that the Madrid side are desperate to keep their players which makes the deal unlikely.
In this case, Barcelona will switch their interest towards Real's Mateo Kovacic, who's being tipped to become a long-term-replacement for Croatian team-mate Luka Modric.
Don Ballon reports that Ernesto Valverde will work hard to make Kovacic one of the few players who switch from the Santiago Bernabeu to the Camp Nou.
It also claims that the 23-year-old has no intention of leaving Los Blancos, as he is considered to be one of Real's big stars in the years to come. Moreover, he was reliable when needed in the center of the park in the absence of the star players, which contributed to Real winning the Champions League and La Liga.
The Catalans have had a tough season, winning only Copa Del Rey. They lost La Liga to historic rivals Real Madrid, and got kicked out from Champions League quarter final by Italian giants, Juventus.
Barca's midfield was disasterous, with Andre Gomez failing to make an impact, and the diappointing form of both, Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic.
There have been rumours linking Marco Verratti with the Blaugrana, but Paris Saint Germain will refuse any offer for the dynamo.
The French giants have a clear plan. Their objective is to succeed in Europe and if that is going to happen, they must keep their key players.
Moreover, the club is one of the richest clubs in the world which means they don't have to sell players for money, and no price can lure them.
This barrier led Barcelona to search for other options to strengthen their midfield.
According to Sky Sports, the Catalans are keen on signing Atletico Madrid's Saul Niguez. Barcelona are ready to pay €80 million for their long-time-target. But Atletico Madrid are banned from bringing new players to the Vicente Calderon, by FIFA. This means that the Madrid side are desperate to keep their players which makes the deal unlikely.
In this case, Barcelona will switch their interest towards Real's Mateo Kovacic, who's being tipped to become a long-term-replacement for Croatian team-mate Luka Modric.
Don Ballon reports that Ernesto Valverde will work hard to make Kovacic one of the few players who switch from the Santiago Bernabeu to the Camp Nou.
It also claims that the 23-year-old has no intention of leaving Los Blancos, as he is considered to be one of Real's big stars in the years to come. Moreover, he was reliable when needed in the center of the park in the absence of the star players, which contributed to Real winning the Champions League and La Liga.