Barcelona have reportedly urged youngster Juan Miranda to join Marseille on loan instead of a permanent transfer to Italian champions Juventus.
As per a report from Spanish publication Sport, La Liga champions Barcelona are urging academy product Juan Miranda to choose a loan move away to French outfit Marseille over a permanent transfer to Serie A champions Juventus.
The 19-year-old Miranda has been with the Barcelona youth setup since 2014, having made the move from Real Betis academy. Having risen through the ranks, the left-back broke into the Catalans’ senior team last season, making his debut in a Copa del Rey clash against Cultural Leonesa in October 2018.
Following that appearance, Miranda went on to feature on three more occasions for Ernesto Valverde’s side. However, the Spain U-19 international is unlikely to see his game time increase in the upcoming campaign as the Catalans brought in Junior Firpo as Jordi Alba’s understudy for the left-back slot this summer.
Barcelona are open to allowing Miranda leave the club in order for him to gain minutes under his belt and continue developing. There has been no lack of offers for the Spaniard either, with Serie A champions Juventus wanting to sign him, along with Ligue 1 giants Marseille.
Marseille, managed by Andre Villas-Boas have just Jordan Amavi as the senior left-back in the squad. Christopher Rocchi is back at the club after his underwhelming loan spell with Sochaux but seems to have done little to impress the manager, which is why he is pushing for the signing of Barcelona’s Miranda.
The fact that former Barcelona goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta is the director of football at Marseille puts them in a good position to sign the youngster. However, they will need to stave off competition from Italian heavyweights Juventus.
Juventus have a quality left-back in Alex Sandro, while summer signing Luca Pellegrini is a more than capable backup option. Throw in latest signing Danilo, who can also operate on the left side of the backline, the Bianconeri seem very well-stocked in the department. Yet, they do not want to miss out on the opportunity to sign a talented youngster like Miranda.
Barcelona though, prefer Miranda joining Marseille over Juventus. Given the Serie A champions wealth of options in the left-back slot, the 19-year-old is unlikely to see much game time in Italy, which would not be the case with Marseille, where he stands a chance of stacking up more minutes.
Moreover, Juventus want to sign Miranda on a permanent deal, which is not something Barcelona are prepared to sanction as they do not want to lose the youngster. Marseille are happy to take the 19-year-old left-back on a season-long loan, which suits the La Liga champions, and that is why they are insisting him to pick a loan move to France over a transfer to Italy.
It is clear that Miranda won’t be playing at Barcelona in the 2019-20 season. It now remains to be seen if the Spaniard chooses Marseille or decides to join Juventus before the transfer window closes.
