Barcelona elbow Tottenham aside as leading Bournemouth star’s ‘head turned’ by Catalan giants | OneFootball

Bournemouth star Marcos Senesi has had his head turned by interest from Barcelona, TEAMtalk understands, despite Tottenham, Everton and several other Premier League sides also being keen on signing him.

The 28‑year‑old is out of contract at the end of the season and has already informed Bournemouth he will not be signing fresh terms at the Vitality Stadium – a decision we exclusively revealed in December.

Since arriving from Feyenoord in 2022, Senesi has been a standout performer on the south coast, and his impending free‑agent status has sparked a scramble for his signature.

A number of Premier League clubs have explored the possibility of keeping him in England.

Tottenham, Everton, Aston Villa, Newcastle, and Sunderland have all registered interest and spoken with his camp, while Chelsea also held discussions in recent months. However, those talks were described as purely exploratory, and the Blues have not advanced their position.

The strongest pressure, though, has come from Spain, despite Italian giants Juventus and Napoli also showing an interest.

Atletico Madrid have made their admiration known, but it is Barcelona who have moved most decisively.

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‘When Barca are interested, it’s tough to ignore’

Sources have exclusively told us that Barcelona have accelerated negotiations in recent weeks, with a proposal being prepared that is already proving “the most intriguing” to the player’s camp.

A source close to the situation stated: “There is a lot of interest in Marcos, but when Barcelona are interested, that is tough to ignore. He has not ruled out anything as yet, but fair to say Barca is a huge lure.”

With Senesi available on a free and Barcelona reshaping their defensive options, the stars are aligning for what could become one of the standout Bosman deals of the summer.

For Bournemouth, the Argentine’s decision to depart comes as a major blow. They lost key centre-backs Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi last summer, and now they’re set to suffer the same fate with Senesi.

Senesi has started every Premier League game he’s been available for this season, helping his side to keep five clean sheets in 25 league appearances and also providing four assists.

But the defender is now ready to take on a new challenge, and Barcelona are the side leading the charge for his signature.

Latest Barcelona news: Marcus Rashford update / Nico Williams battle

Meanwhile, Manchester United have told Barcelona they aren’t willing to consider a different price for Marcus Rashford to complete a permanent move after his loan in LaLiga, according to multiple reports.

Barcelona have an option to buy the 28-year-old for a fee in the region of £26m. They have been considering trying to negotiate a lower fee, but the Red Devils have made clear this is not an option.

In other news, we have revealed how Barcelona remain interested in Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, but they will face serious competition from Arsenal for his signature.

The 23‑year‑old’s decision to sign a 10‑year deal at the San Mames has not ended the transfer talk, because it carries a release clause understood to be in the region of €100million (£87m / $119m).