Marseille ready to let go of Manchester United and Barcelona target Boubacar Kamara

European giants Manchester United and Barcelona have been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of Marseille midfielder, Boubacar Kamara. The French club are reportedly ready to sell the Frenchman next summer before he enters the final year of his contract.

According to the Express, Boubacar Kamara has been given permission to leave Marseille by the club's president, Pablo Longoria. This has alerted some of Europe's top clubs, such as Barcelona and Manchester United.

Boubacar Kamara rose through Marseille's youth ranks, making his debut for the club in 2016 at the age of just 17. Kamara initially burst onto the scene as a center-back but has been moulded into one of the top defensive midfielders in Ligue 1 by his manager, Andre Villas-Boas.

Kamara has made 99 appearances for Marseille in all competitions, and is reportedly ready to make the step up to one of Europe's top clubs. The French club value Kamara at €60 million

Marseille need to balance the books in January and Le10Sport believes defender Boubacar Kamara could net them as much as €60m from either Barcelona or Bayern Munich.

— TeamRumorsTransfersNews24/7Talk ⚽ 📰 (@rumorstransfers) December 17, 2020

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Barcelona and Manchester United will look to sign Boubacar Kamara next summer

Boubacar Kamara (right)

Barcelona have been heavily linked with a move for Kamara in recent months. Ronald Koeman's side are on the lookout for long-term replacements for Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique, and believe Kamara would be the ideal signing, given his versatility and defensive capabilities.

The Catalan giants will, however, face heavy competition from Premier League giants Manchester United. The Red Devils are looking to sign a defensive midfielder as they prepare themselves for the exit of Paul Pogba.

Pogba's agent Mino Raoila has been vocal about his client's desire to leave Manchester United, with Juventus and Real Madrid rumoured to be potential destinations for the Frenchman.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would ideally like to sign a box-to-box midfielder to replace Pogba, but with Scott McTominay showing potential in a more advanced role in midfield in recent weeks, the Norwegian is now looking to sign a permanent replacement for Nemanja Matic.

Manchester United and Barcelona are set to battle it out for the signature of Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara.(The Express )

— TeamRumorsTransfersNews24/7Talk ⚽ 📰 (@rumorstransfers) December 28, 2020

Marseille have quoted a fee of €60 million for Kamara, which could prove to be a major obstacle for Barcelona. Barcelona would have to sell a few players, and reduce their wage bill to be able to finance a deal for the Frenchman.

Manchester United, on the other hand, would use the money from Pogba's potential exit to fund any deal for Kamara. The likehood of either club making such a large investment on Kamara in the January transfer window seems slim, though they may begin negotiations for next summer.