SPECIAL REPORT: The Catalans are in the
market for a right-back and have set their sights
on the Azzurri World Cup star – but why are the
Liga leaders interested?
Apr 10, 2015 09:00:00
By Ben Hayward & Carlo
Garganese
Barcelona have set their
sights on Italy defender
Matteo Darmian as Dani
Alves prepares to leave the Catalan club this
summer.
Alves' agent and ex-wife Dinorah Santa Ana
called a press conference in Barcelona on
Thursday to reveal the 31-year-old had turned
down what she called an "unsatisfactory"
contract offer from the Blaugrana .
With the Brazil defender out of contract in June,
Barca have been looking for a replacement for
some time and their top target was Porto right-
back Danilo.
However, the 23-year-old recently tied up a big-
money move to Real Madrid and Barca, despite
not being able to field any new players until
January 2016, have turned their attentions to
Torino's talented Darmian.
"Having players like Darmian or [Kamil] Glik is the
first step to thinking about important things, but
it will be difficult to keep them because there are
many clubs that have contacted them," Italian
sporting director Giorgio Perinetti, who worked
with the player at Palermo, said on Wednesday.
"In particular, Darmian. [Barca transfer chief
Ariedo] Braida likes him very much and, therefore,
so do Barcelona."
Barcelona are willing to pay in the region of €15
million for 25-year-old Darmian, who would be
brought in this summer with a view to making his
debut in January when the club's transfer ban -
which stops them from fielding new players but
not actually registering them - will expire.
Darmian is also of interest to a number of Serie A
and Premier League sides.
The Italy full-back is currently leading the race to
replace Alves, but there are several other players
also under consideration, including Monaco's
Fabinho, Paris Saint-Germain's Serge Aurier,
Mario Gaspar of Villarreal and Borussia
Dortmund's Lukasz Piszczek, although the Polish
right-back turns 30 in June and does not
represent a long-term solution.
*stats based on Serie A and Europa League
combined
Darmian's development over the last 18 months
from a relatively unknown, uncapped domestic
player to Barcelona transfer target has been
nothing short of remarkable.
Debuting for Italy just a fortnight before the 2014
World Cup, it was in the tournament opener
against England where the 25-year-old really
made a name for himself. The wing-back ran riot
down the right flank in the tropical heat of
Manaus, surging past Leighton Baines time and
again as the Azzurri won 2-1.
Photo Credit: goal.com
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