Juventus accelerate pursuit of 28-year-old Barcelona centre-back target | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have made it a priority to sign a new centre-back in the summer, with the club’s preference being to bring in a left-footed player to fill the void left by Inigo Martinez’s exit.

Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck is among the players being linked, along with the likes of Alessandro Bastoni of Inter Milan and Josko Gvardiol of Manchester City.

Another player who fits the profile and is on Barça’s radar is Marcos Senesi of AFC Bournemouth.

The Argentine international’s contract expires at the end of the season, and everything points towards him leaving the Premier League club.

Juventus step up Senesi pursuit

Now, though, according to Tuttosport (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Juventus are accelerating their efforts to sign Senesi in the final days of the winter transfer window.

Despite the 28-year-old Argentine being set to become a free agent in July, the Bianconeri do not want to risk entering a bidding war for a player they consider necessary.

Barcelona are monitoring Senesi. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

The report particularly cites the competition from Barcelona as well as Atletico Madrid as a key factor behind Juventus’ push to sign him this month.

To that end, Juventus have pressed ahead with the operation by offering the player a four-year contract worth €3 million per season.

By convincing the defender first, the Serie A giants believe they will be in an ideal position to reach an agreement for the transfer in the coming days.

Although not a priority target for Barcelona, Senesi is held in high regard at Barcelona, with the new head of scouting, Joao Amaral, following him closely.

In fact, the Blaugrana have maintained reports on the Argentine international since his Feyenoord days. However, with Juventus stepping up their pursuit of the 28-year-old, it remains to be seen how it impacts the Catalans’ plans.