Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos could be set to depart the French capital in search of more playing time, and Barcelona are hoping to be the club to take advantage by capturing the Brazilian in January.
According to Football Espana, Spanish publication Mundo Deportivoreported that due to playing second fiddle to first-choice centre-back duo David Luiz and Thiago Silva, the 21-year-old is seeking the exit door in Paris.
His agents, who had contact with Barcelona prior to the 2014 World Cup, have informed the Catalan giants of his desire to leave.
The report names Barca’s other defensive targets as Everton’s John Stones, Sassuolo’s Sime Vrsaljko, Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez and Athletic Bilbao’s Aymeric Laporte.
The Blaugrana will be free to sign players again in January, and technical director Robert Fernandez is hopeful at least one name will be added to their roster, aside from summer acquisitions Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal.
According to Marca‘s Xavi Hernandez, who notes that president Josep Maria Bartomeu has promised a January signing for manager Luis Enrique, Fernandez said: “Our wage bill is something we have to take into consideration, but there are solutions. We have enough time and space to work on signing new players ahead of the January transfer window.”