Barcelona have been dealt a blow in their reported pursuit of Marco Verratti after the midfielder extended his Paris Saint-Germain contract until 2020.
Xavi Hernandez claimed last week that Verratti, along with Paulo Dybala, had Barca’s DNA and would therefore find it easy to adapt to the club’s style of play, but their wish of landing the Italy international now appears to be more of a pipedream.
“I’m very happy and grateful for the faith [placed in me]. I love Paris and I love PSG,” he told PSG’s official website.
Verratti joined PSG from Italian side Pescara in the summer of 2012 and has gone on to play over 150 times for the Ligue 1 giants, winning three consecutive League titles in the process.
