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(l-r) Giuliano of FC Zenit St. Petersburg, Ben Rienstra of AZ Alkmaar, Axel Witsel of FC Zenit St. Petersburgduring the UEFA Europa League group D match between AZ Alkmaar and FC Zenit on December 08, 2016 at the AFAS stadium in Alkmaar, The Netherlands.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
(l-r) Giuliano of FC Zenit St. Petersburg, Ben Rienstra of AZ Alkmaar, Axel Witsel of FC Zenit St. Petersburgduring the UEFA Europa League group D match between AZ Alkmaar and FC Zenit on December 08, 2016 at the AFAS stadium in Alkmaar, The Netherlands.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)VI-Images/Getty Images

Barcelona Transfer News: Axel Witsel Wanted in the Summer Amid Juventus Rumours

Rory Marsden
Dec 22, 2016

Barcelona are reportedly pursuingย Zenit Saint Petersburg midfielder Axel Witsel but face a battle with Juventus, who are eager to sign the Belgium international in January.

According to Calciomercato.com'sย Nicola Balice, the Catalan giants are eager to sign Witsel at the end of 2016-17 but Juve have been pursuing him for a long time and could sign him forย โ‚ฌ10 million (ยฃ8.5 million) in the new year.

The Italianย champions attempted to sign Witsel in the summer, but the deal collapsed, per Bleacher Report's Dean Jones:

The accomplished central midfielder's contract with Zenit expires in the summer, so he could be available as a free agentย come the end of the campaign.

Per Balice, the Blaugrana will look to tempt Witsel, 27, with a "big-money offer at the end of the season" but Juve could well get there ahead of them.ย Evertonย are also said to have made moves to sign himโ€”they reportedly had aย โ‚ฌ15 million (ยฃ12.7 million) offer previously rejected.

Witsel has long been one of the more sought-after midfielders in the game because of his comfort on the ball and excellent passing range.

He is a veteran of the Belgium national team and has caught the eye since moving to Zenit from Benfica in 2012.

Juventus seem to be ahead of the game in the race to sign him as his contract winds down. CEOย Giuseppe Marotta told Radio Unoย thatย the Old Lady have opened talks about signing him in January (h/tย Seleneย Scarsiย of ESPN FC).

However, Barca's interest could tempt Witsel to move to La Liga.

The Catalan outfit are hardly desperate for new central midfielders given they boast the likes of Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic.

Witsel, though, could still be a valuable addition to manager Luis Enrique's squad, as he is at the peak of his career. The superlative Iniesta,ย meanwhile, will be 33 years old by the time the Belgian's Zenit contract expires.

Juve will provide significant competition in the race to sign Witsel, as the parties are seemingly already in negotiations, and the Italians could offer him more guaranteed playing time than the Blaugrana.

But the lure of the Camp Nou holds a lot of sway, and should Witsel not move in January, Barcelonaย could be a destination in the summer.ย 

Arsenal Missed Targets ๐Ÿซ