Barcelona monitoring Serie A pivot midfielder with €35 million release clause

Barcelona are continuing the scour the market for a solution for their defensive midfield position for the summer transfer window.

Since Sergio Busquets’ departure last summer, the Blaugrana have been on the lookout for a top-quality replacement, but find their hands tied due to finances.

As a result, Barcelona signed Oriol Romeu for a low fee last summer, but things have not worked out as the Spaniard has struggled to perform at the desired level.

Therefore, once again, the signing of a pivot has become a priority for Barcelona and several players are being looked at.

Lazar Samardzic on the agenda
SPORT reports that Barcelona have set their sights on Udinese and Serbia defensive midfielder Lazar Samardzic as a potential target.

As per the report, the 22-year-old midfielder is a familiar name within the Barça offices as the Catalans were close to signing him when he was playing youth football at Hertha Berlin a few years ago.

Barcelona had held talks with his entourage but in the end RB Leipzig swooped in and signed him away from Hertha BSC in 2020. After a year, he signed for Udinese, where he has enjoyed a rise in prominence.

Samardzic is seen as one of the most promising young midfielders in Serie A and has done enough to attract the attention of Barcelona.

Meanwhile, other clubs like Napoli and Inter Milan are also keen on the Serbian midfield ace.

An affordable option?
Samardzic has a contract with Udinese until 2026, with the deal containing a release clause worth around €35 million as per the report.

It would potentially make the Serbian an affordable option for Barcelona, compared to other targets such as Joshua Kimmich or Amadou Onana, who would easily cost in excess of €50 million.

Feyenoord midfielder Mats Wieffer is seen as another such affordable alternative by the Blaugrana. It remains to be seen if they opt to go after Samardzic or Wieffer, or chase a bigger name come summer.