Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has revealed that Barcelona and several other clubs have already enquired about the availability of his international and club teammate Marquinhos.
The 21-year-old has seen his first team opportunities being limited as he is behind the PSG captain and his compatriot David Luiz in the central defending position. He has started in only 11 league games so far this term.
Marquinhos’ contract with his current employers runs till 2019. Lack of playing time in the French capital has seen him attract interest from top clubs across Europe. According to Fichajes, Manchester United are keen on securing the services of the Brazil international.
In addition to this, The Sun claims United’s league rivals Chelsea have also identified him as a transfer target as a long-term replacement for John Terry, who announced his decision to leave the west London club as a free agent in the summer.
However, Silva is aware that it will be difficult for PSG to hold on to their star player, if manager Laurent Blanc fails to accommodate Marquinhos regularly in his starting lineup. He also went on to blame his agent, who is also Luiz’s representative, for his situation at Parc des Princes.
“His situation is difficult. Marquinhos is a player with great qualities who would be able to play in any team in Europe. That’s the reason why Barca and others have already enquired,” Silva explained, as reported by Spanish publication Sport.
“But it’s the fault of his agent. He transferred David Luiz to Paris and then was left with two of his players in competition. And the third central defender is the captain of the team – me.”
“Fortunately, Marquinhos is a good guy, otherwise he would already have acted negatively. He has to continue to work and we’ll see what he decides to do at the end of the season.”
It should be seen whether United and Chelsea can compete with Barcelona for Marquinhos’ signature. Both clubs will be looking to bring in a centre-back in the summer transfer window.
A failure to land the PSG defender will then see United and Chelsea then turn their attention on John Stones. The Everton centre-back was strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge last summer, but the Merseyside club managed to retain their star player.
It should be seen whether they can manage to retain the England international beyond the upcoming summer transfer window.
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