Barcelona believe they can sign Premier League centre-back for less than €65m price tag

Barcelona’s desire to bring in a central defender this summer is one of the more difficult transfer moves to predict, with little certainty over how much the Blaugrana will be able to spend on the position. The priority is reportedly a centre-forward, but that too represents a significant outlay in all likelihood.

The Catalan side did receive positive news on Wednesday that their salary limit had been raised €81m by La Liga, compared to September. That said, Barcelona are still thought to be over their salary limit, which impacts their ability to invest in new players. Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni was seemingly their first choice to strengthen their backline, but he seems set to pen a new deal at the Giuseppe Meazza.

Micky van de Ven on Barcelona shortlist

Image via Molly Darlington/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven is another name on their shortlist though, and Sport say that he is gaining traction as a possible option for Barcelona. The Dutch international is keen to depart Spurs this summer as they struggle in the bottom half of the Premier League for a second straight season, and will look to exit. Van de Ven would be keen on a move to Camp Nou, and Barcelona believe they can get a deal done for less than the €65m he is currently valued at. Their one major doubt on the pitch is van de Ven’s ability to react quickly in some passages of play, despite his speed.

Van de Ven: Linked to Real Madrid, part of centre-back scramble

Van de Ven has also been linked, if anything more closely, to Real Madrid this summer, where the Dutchman would also be interested in moving. Meanwhile in England, reports claim that Manchester United and Liverpool are both keen on signing the 24-year-old too. On the other hand, van de Ven did recently declare that Barcelona icon Carles Puyol was one of his idols growing up.