Barcelona Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Marquinhos and Mauricio Lemos

Barcelona will reportedly make a significant attempt to sign Paris Saint-Germain’s Marquinhos after the conclusion of the Copa America.

That’s according to Sport, which stated the player “wants his future resolved before he takes a deserved holiday” with a potential €40 million offer on the table from the Blaugrana, adding, “The player's agents are in agreement to sign for Barcelona, but the French champions are resisting."

Marquinhos is considered to be one of the very best young defenders in the world. But despite his exceptional potential, he’s found starts hard to come by at the Parc des Princes in his best position at centre-back. 

Here is a look at the kind of qualities the 22-year-old has in his locker and why Barcelona are keen on getting him in:

Of the four central defenders on Barcelona’s books, Gerard Pique is the youngest (29). So it’d be no surprise to see manager Luis Enrique look to bring in a marquee defender around whom he can build the side for years to come. Marquinhos fits that particular blueprint almost perfectly.

YASUYOSHI CHIBA/Getty Images

At Roma he showed so much star promise. Marquinhos is an athlete in the heart of the back line who is able to shut down danger, win tackles and track the runs of sharp strikers. Additionally, he’s shown a maturity early in his career, something that’s been supplemented further by playing at the highest level for both club and country.

As these numbers from WhoScored.com showcase, Marquinhos also possesses composure and quality on the ball that would make him a brilliant fit at the Camp Nou:

Prising him away from the Parc des Princes will be tough. Although Marquinhos isn’t currently a guaranteed starter, he is someone the French champions will want to underpin their side for years to come. Much depends on how patient he will be deputising for Thiago Silva, David Luiz and the full-backs.

The potential is there for a longstanding partnership with Pique at the heart of the Barcelona defence, and stylistically there aren’t many better fits for the future than Marquinhos when it comes to possible Blaugrana centre-backs. He’d be a costly purchase, but in terms of longevity, he would be worth it.

Mauricio Lemos Offered to Real Madrid

Lucas de Leon/Associated Press

According to AS’ Alvaro de la Rosa, Las Palmas centre-back Maurico Lemos has been offered to Real Madrid despite longstanding interest from Barcelona: “Real are studying the situation, which would involve going over Barcelona’s head, as the Camp Nou has also expressed an interest in securing the services of a player who has made a good impression since his arrival in Spain during the winter transfer market."

Las Palmas signed the player at the end of a loan spell from Rubin Kazan recently. However, De la Rosa added there is anger at the Blaugrana’s attempts to swoop in on a deal, something that could cost them landing him further down the line.

Here is a look at how Lemos compared with Marquinhos and Barca’s star centre-back Pique in league matches last term:

	Lemos	Marquinhos	Pique
Apps (Sub)	8 (2)	20 (9)	30
Goals	0	1	2
Tackles per game	0.9	1.4	1.3
Interceptions per game	2	1.3	1.8
Clearances per game	3.4	3.1	3.6
Blocks per game	0.6	0.6	0.6
Passing accuracy	83%	93.3%	90.5%

Although little was known about the 20-year-old before he made the switch to La Liga, Opta’s Jamie Kemp thinks he’d be a good addition:

Madrid, like Barcelona, could definitely do with another option to call upon at centre-back, especially with Pepe in the twilight of his career. However, Los Blancos do have Raphael Varane, meaning they already possess a young defender who could be a linchpin at the back for a long time.

As noted, the Catalonia club don’t, and someone like Lemos, after impressing in a vibrant Las Palmas side last term, could be the solution. Nevertheless, he’ll surely be a contingency plan should Barcelona miss out on a proven, elite target such as Marquinhos.