Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti favours a move to Barcelona should he leave the Parisian giants this summer, reports Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Italy international has supposedly made his intentions clear that he is keen to leave the French outfit this summer and has been linked with a return to Italy, while a host of Premier League sides are monitoring his situation.
However, Verratti is believed to favour a move to Barcelona, with the Blaugrana now in pole position to secure the 24-year-old’s services.
Barcelona are supposedly willing to sell Rafinha this summer in order to free up a midfield space, with the La Liga outfit prepared to use the Brazilian as a bargaining chip in their pursuit of academy graduate Hector Bellerin.
They have also been linked with a move for Nice star Jean Michael Seri, but their primary midfield target remains Verratti.
Verratti gained a WhoScored rating of 7.54 in Ligue 1 last season, the second best return, while only Thiago Motta (91.5) averaged more passes per game than his PSG teammate (87.5).