Barcelona eye surprise €55m move for Manchester United star

Barcelona have plans to sign a new central defender in the summer, as they seek to address a position where they have struggled this season. A number of targets have been identified in recent months, and a new name has now been added into the mix.

The idea is for Barcelona to go for a left-sided centre-back, given their desire to replace Inigo Martinez after his move to Al-Nassr last summer. They have been linked with the likes of Nico Schlotterbeck and Goncalo Inacio, but right now, a deal for Lisandro Martinez could be more likely.

Barcelona were interested in Martinez during his Ajax days, and as per CaughtOffside, they are considering a move to sign him in the summer. Manchester United have reservations about selling the Argentina international, although Catalan sources believe a deal could be done for around €55m.

Martinez, who has struggled a lot with injuries over the last 18 months, fits the bill for Barcelona in being a left-sided central defender, and he is good with the ball at his feet. However, there are question marks about whether his height would be a detriment, although given that La Liga is less physical than the Premier League, he could be better suited to Spanish football.

Barcelona have to get their centre-back signing right

As things stand, centre-back is the one area that Barcelona cannot afford to get wrong in the summer. Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia have both generally performed well throughout the season, but the idea is for a more natural left-sided option to play alongside one of them from next season onwards.

It will be interesting to see who Barcelona go for in the summer. Martinez is an interesting option, and €55m would not be a bad price, although it would still be difficult for a deal to be done with Man United.