Real Madrid will go all out to bring Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti to the club this summer, according to AS.
Los Blancos’ midfield was decimated by injuries last season, with Luka Modric, James Rodriguez and Sami Khedira all sidelined at various points, and the newspaper claims the club have made the 22-year-old their “number one transfer target”.
However, it will be a difficult move to pull off as PSG do not need to sell the Italy international, more so given that Madrid are now seen as direct rivals, while the player extended his contract until 2019 last September.
The capital giants bid €40m for Verratti last summer and offered him a salary of €20m for four seasons, but the French champions knocked back their advances.
Nonetheless, there are no release clauses in France and Madrid believe they can tempt PSG into a sale without risking their relationship, which remains cordial following Carlo Ancelotti’s deflection to Los Merengues in 2013.
Verratti joined PSG from Pescara for €12m three years ago as one of Ancelotti’s signings and has since established himself as a key player at Parc des Princes.
