Barça prepared to pay 40 million euros for PSG's Marquinhos

Contact to sign Marquinhos has intensified in the past hours. FC Barcelona have taken the decision to go 'all in' for PSG's Brazilian defender, and are prepared to pay around 40 million euros. The technical staff, led by Luis Enrique, consider Marquinhos to be the safest bet to form a tandem with Gerard Pique in central defence.

The player has shown his desire to play at Barça on several occasions, and to do so alongside his compatriot Neymar. Marquinhos has confided in those around him that, although he has offers from other clubs (such as Manchester United and Chelsea), that his priority would be to play at Camp Nou.

FC Barcelona also believes that Marquinhos would be the ideal replacement for Marc Bartra, who will announce his departure from the club in the next few days. The Brazilian is also a young defender, which would allow Barça to tie up a position in the team for the next decade. This had originally been the idea with Bartra. On top of this, Marquinhos is also a versatile footballer who is able to play as left sided centre back but also at full back, where he could also fill the vacancy left by Adriano.