Italian minnows Sassuolo have reportedly made a €12 million bid for Barcelona youngster Marlon Santos, with other European clubs such as Borussia Monchengladbach also said to be interested in his signature.
Centre-back Santos is attracting plenty of suitors ahead of the upcoming season. The 22-year-old has been linked with a move away all summer, but nothing has materialised.
The Brazilian is an attractive proposition due to the ability he possesses for his age as well as the experience he has at the top level from his time with Ligue 1 side Nice last season.
He is composed on the ball and confident in the tackle as well as having experience playing in a variety of set-ups such as a deep defensive shape and a high defensive line.
There are issues he still needs to work on though, such as aerial ability and positional awareness as well as being slow to anticipate play, which were highlighted in Barcelona’s US pre-season tour.
Nevertheless, the player signed from Fluminense in 2017 would be an excellent long-term project especially for a mid-level club.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Serie A side Sassuolo have made a bid. The Premier League window closes on Thursday, which means that there could also be more interest in the coming days for his services as clubs attempt to make last-minute signings to improve their squads.
This price is low even though Barca do need to sell him due to the amount of non-EU players at the club.
They can afford to hold out though in an attempt to drive up prices over the coming weeks with the deadline acting in their favour.
The amount of clubs interested means that they should have plenty of other suitors enquiring about him.
However, the priority must be to sell him on by the end of the window. This would leave the club with four centre-backs, assuming Colombian Yerry Mina leaves.
