Barcelona are reportedly on the verge of signing 23-year-0ld Brazilian midfielder Gerson from Flamengo this coming summer.
According to claims by Alfredo Duro on Spanish outlet El Chiringuito TV, Barcelona are closing in on the capture of Gerson. The Catalan giants have reached an agreement with Flamengo over a deal to sign the 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder in the summer transfer window for €25 million.
Gerson has resurrected his career since returning to South America from a forgettable spell with AS Roma by joining Flamengo in the summer of 2019. Over the last couple of years, the 23-year-old has gone from strength to strength and has gone on to establish himself as a mainstay in midfield for the South American giants.
Till date, Gerson has amassed 95 appearances for the Urubu, even chipping in with 6 goals and 10 assists. His progress has caught the attention of the big clubs in Europe again, with Barcelona keen on signing him heading into the summer transfer window.
Barcelona are reported to be set to enter the market for a central midfielder this coming summer, and for good reason. Riqui Puig has failed to win over Ronald Koeman and could be on his way out of Camp Nou ahead of the 2021/22 season, with Arsenal and Tottenham among those interested.
Fellow academy graduate Carles Alena is in a similar boat, while Philippe Coutinho is also set to be offloaded by Barcelona this summer. With Sergio Busquets well into his thirties and Miralem Pjanic struggling to make an impact this season, it is hardly a surprise that Barcelona would want to sign a midfielder.
To that end, the Blaugrana have been heavily linked with Georginio Wijnaldum, but recent reports have suggested that they could well be identifying alternatives for the Liverpool star. As a result, Barcelona have been in pursuit of Wilfred Ndidi, Adrien Rabiot and a few others, with Gerson being a target as well.
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It has now emerged that the Catalans have reached an agreement over a deal for the 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder. The transfer would cost Barcelona around €25 million, which would represent a handsome profit for Flamengo, who signed him from AS Roma for less than half of that sum.
What now remains to be seen is if Barcelona indeed manage to hash out a €25 million deal for Gerson, or if they once again continue their search for a central midfielder. As things stand, they might have zeroed in on their final option.
