Aheed Abrar
Barcelona eyeing Real Madrid forward and Manchester United summer target Marco Asensio
La Liga giants Barcelona are looking to entice Manchester United summer target Marco Asensio away from their bitter rivals Real Madrid, according to Sport (h/t The Sun).
The Spain international’s current contract at Los Blancos is set to expire at the end of the season. As a result, the Blaugrana have made ‘contact’ with the forward.
Jorge Mendes is the 27-year-old’s representative. The superagent has a close relationship with the Catalan outfit’s president Joan Laporta.
However, Carlo Ancellotti’s team are keen to keep a hold of Asensio. However, at the moment, the Spaniard’s demand for a higher salary is something the UCL champions are not willing to meet.
As a result, the 27-year-old could be on the move in the upcoming transfer window. In the Premier League, Arsenal and Liverpool are interested in him, while the Red Devils were looking to acquire the forward’s services in the summer of 2022.
Asensio signed for Los Blancos in 2014 and subsequently spent a season on loan at Espanyol. However, the 27-year-old soon made waves with the La Liga giants and was challenging the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale for a place in the starting lineup.
— Marco Asensio (@marcoasensio10) January 1, 2023
However, injuries have hampered the Spain international. In the last few years, the forward has seen his influence under Ancellotti dwindle, with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo ahead of him in the pecking order.
United bolstered their forward line in the previous transfer window with Antony. However, we evidently need a number nine after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure. Wout Weghorst is just a short-term replacement.
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Barcelona already have a stacked attack with Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele, Raphinha, Ferran Tores and Ansu Fati in the squad. As for the Old Trafford side, our priority evidently lies elsewhere.
