Barcelona Transfer News: €60M Danilo Pereira Scouted Amid Latest Rumours
Barcelona have reportedly been scouting Porto's Danilo Pereira during the international break with the 26-year-old said to be the club's top midfield target.
According to Mundo Deportivo (via Calciomercato), Blaugrana director of football Robert Fernandez has cast his eye over Pereira and believes he could be a fine addition to the squad.
The Portugal international has a €60 million (£53.6 million) release clause and is also a target for Arsenal, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, the report added.
Pereira joined Porto from Maritimo in July 2015 and has since become a key part of the first team at the Estadio do Dragao.
In 2016-17, he played in 28 of Porto's 34 league games, and he has started all eight of their matches in the new term, per WhoScored.com.
He is unquestionably a very accomplished defensive midfielder, boasting excellent strength, technical ability and defensive acumen, while he can also be dangerous on occasion when he drives forward.
Barcelona are currently lacking much depth in the deep-lying midfield role.
Andre Gomes, signed from Valencia in 2016, has proven largely unsuccessful at the Camp Nou, while Javier Mascherano more regularly plays as a centre-back and is now 33 years old.
Sergio Busquets remains an incredibly valuable presence and Paulinho has made a decent start to his Barca career, but the Catalan giants could do with more varied options given their ambitions on multiple fronts.
Pereira is an ideal target given his skill set, and he could be a fine addition to manager Ernesto Valverde's squad, but his price tag could prove a stumbling block.
