There are a handful of football clubs you just don’t reject if they come calling in the transfer window. Real Madrid and Manchester United are two of them and the third is Barcelona.
If the Spanish giants bid for Italy star Marco Verratti this summer, he may find it very difficult to turn down – even if Paris Saint-Germain are reluctant to let him leave.
The stereotypical Italian midfielder
Verratti is your stereotypical Italian midfielder. He has a very aggressive side to his play but oozes class and he would certainly be an upgrade on Sergio Busquets at the heart of Barca’s midfield.
With over 200 PSG appearances to his name, he has a wealth of experience in one of Europe’s top leagues and is ready to take the next step.
You can’t get much bigger than PSG but not even the most ardent of supporters would claim that the French side are bigger than Barcelona.
Verratti is destined to succeed at the summit of European football and it doesn’t get much bigger than Camp Nou.
The Spanish giants may need to pay somewhere in the region of £70 million to acquire Verratti but he is well worth it.
Verratti would greatly benefit Barca
Verratti’s impact and influence in the middle of the park would allow Barcelona’s attacking trio of Luis Suarez, Neymar and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi to roam and wreak havoc up front.
In Ivan Rakitic, they have another composed, reliable star in centre midfield and Verratti could turn out to be the perfect complement alongside the Croatian.
The Italian made 25 league appearances for PSG last season, notching three goals whilst recording five assists for his teammates.
Scoring goals is never going to be Verratti’s forte – his general play and control is.
WhoScored rated the 24 year old as PSG’s best player last season, giving him an average rating of 7.54, clear of Lucas Moura in second place.
Marco Verratti: Only Amine Harit (82) was fouled more times than Verratti (79) in Ligue 1 last season https://t.co/KuNHRZPank pic.twitter.com/F4r6QBd977
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) June 28, 2022
Furthermore, he made 3.3 tackles per game and completed 88.6% of his pass attempts. On paper, these figures make fine reading for a defensive midfielder and he could mature into an elite talent at Camp Nou.
In Champions League fixtures especially, his presence off the ball could give Barcelona the edge; particularly in close encounters.
A must to bridge the gap
La Blaugrana fell short in La Liga last term as arch rivals Real Madrid lifted the Spanish title for a record 33rd time. If Barcelona are to bridge the gap between Zinedine Zidane’s men and themselves, Verratti is a must sign.
As of July 12th, Ernesto Valverde’s side are 10/11 to win the crown in La Liga betting markets and the little Italian magician could make all the difference come next May.
Once again, Barcelona and Real Madrid look set to go up against each other in a straight up dogfight for the La Liga title.
Worth the money
It would be foolish to suggest that one man could swing the crown either way but the addition of Marco Verratti will put Barcelona in a much stronger position going into the new campaign.
He will come at a price but the Italian is worth it.
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