What’s the story?
Barcelona have set sights on signing Stefan de Vrij from Lazio according to SPORT. The Spanish publication state that the Catalan side's board see him as the ideal long-term partner for Samuel Umtiti.
The Dutch international has been a regular in the Italian club's starting XI but is having contract issues at the club. The defender is valued at £50 million by the Serie A side.
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Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano and Jeremy Mathieu are now in their 30's, and Barcelona are keen on signing a centre-back this summer. They signed Samuel Umtiti from Lyon as a long term prospect and now want to sign a partner for him.
De Vrij was signed by Lazio from Feyenoord in 2014. He has refused to sign a new contract and is expected to be on his way out of the club this summer. Chelsea were keen on signing him last summer, but Lazio rejected their bids of over £40 million on multiple occasions.
The heart of the matter
Barcelona are keen on signing a centre-back this summer and have made a list of players they should target. De Vrij is one of the players and reports suggest that incoming manager, who is tipped to be Ernesto Valverde, has asked the club to sign the Dutch star.
Apart from De Vrij, Barcelona are also eyeing a move for Ajax's Davison Sanchez, Paris Saint-Germain's Marquinhos and Athletic Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte. The Catalan side are also looking to sell their players to make space for the new ones.
What’s next?
Barcelona are looking to sell Javier Mascherano and Jeremy Mathieu this summer according to reports. The defensive duo are in their mid-thirties and are not a part of the club's future.
With the new manager coming in, the Catalan side are keen on refreshing the squad as well. They want to get the players their new manager wants so that he can win the title again.
As for their interest in De Vrij, Barcelona will now hold talks with Lazio for him. His contract expires at the end of the 2017/18 season, and he will be able to sign a pre-contract in January 2017.
Lazio will have to reduce their asking price if they do not want him to lose him for free at the end of the next season. Barcelona will look to seal the deal for around £35 million, but with the market blown up, the fee will easily be around £45 million in the end.
Author’s Take
A move for De Vrij is a smart one. His contract expires at the end of next season, and he will be available for the price of other centre-backs who possess the same qualities.
