What’s the story?
Inter Milan midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia has emerged as a surprise target for Barcelona.
ESPN report that the 24-year-old Kondogbia will be the alternate option for Barca if they fail to sign Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Marco Verratti. They also claim that Barcelona’s international consultant, Areido Braida, and Inter sporting director Pedro Ausilio met in a restaurant and discussed the situation of the Frenchman.
Nice’s Jean Michael Seri and Juventus’ Miralem Pjanic are also among the options for the Spanish side.
In case you didn’t know...
Geoffrey Kondogbia had his taste of Spanish football during his one-year spell at Sevilla. The Andalusian scouts spotted him at French club RC Lens and brought him to Spain for a fee believed to be around €4 million.
His performances in La Liga and the victorious Europa League run earned him a return to France as in 2013, newly promoted AS Monaco offered €20 million for the defensive midfielder. He helped them qualify for the Champions League after a decade and, after two successful seasons, left for Inter for €36 million.
Also read: 5 things you should know about Barcelona target Ousmane Dembele
Kondogbia’s strongest aspects are his strength and his tackling as he managed to make 2.6 tackles per Serie A game. But his surprise element is his skilled dribbling. He even managed to register 2.3 dribbles per league game, something not expected from a defensive midfielder.
The heart of the matter
Marco Verratti’s transfer saga is one which would probably take a long time. While the Italian is keen on joining the club, PSG are reluctant to let him go which means that they would demand a huge sum of money from the Catalans.
This also means Verratti will have to force a move to leave PSG and join Barca. But, at the end of the day, it all comes down to the Parisian club, who are under no pressure of selling the player. Or any player, for that matter.
So, Barcelona are preparing a plan B, which includes Kondogbia and Guangzhou Evergrande’s Paulinho, who would cost the club a lot lesser.
Video
Author’s take
Kondogbia is an asset to any club he plays at. However, he may not be needed at Barca as he plays as a defensive pivot and Barca have Sergio Busquets, who is an absolute boss in that position. It all depends on what Ernesto Valverde has in his mind.
