Barcelona wait to see if Marco Verratti refuses to train with PSG in pre-season before launching £71m offer- Marco Verratti is due to report back to PSG for pre-season training on July 4
- Barcelona hope the Italian midfielder refuses to show up in order to force a move
- Should he do so, Barcelona believe it will provide the impetus to agree the deal
By Alex Martin For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 09:59 BST, 28 June 2017 | UPDATED: 09:59 BST, 28 June 2017
Barcelona's pursuit of Marco Verratti will come to a head on July 4 with Nou Camp officials hoping he makes his intentions clear by refusing to turn up to pre-season with Paris Saint-Germain.Catalan newspaper Sport claim Barcelona are prepared to launch an offer of ?80million (£71m) soon after the date passes, but only if Verratti plays his part by remaining absent from Parc des Princes.The belief is that Verratti will only seal his dream move to the La Liga club if he allows his tense relationship with PSG to reach the point of no return.So far, the Ligue 1 outfit have flat-out refused to entertain the idea of selling him despite the fact that Verratti has made no secret of his growing discontent under head coach Unai Emery.
PSG expect him back at the club next week to begin preparations for the new season but his refusal to return to the French capital would put him in something of an untenable situation, one which Barcelona are ready to take advantage of.
However, Verratti will be well aware that refusing to train will most probably see him suffer severe financial repercussions and may see him forfeit any loyalty bonus that may be written into his contract.
Sport likens the impending situation to that of Javier Mascherano, who refused to play for Liverpool in order to seal a transfer to Barcelona in 2010. Angel di Maria also sealed his move to PSG after failing to report to Manchester United's pre-season camp in the US in 2015.
Barcelona have also been linked with former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho this week, but the Brazilian, who plays for Guangzhou Evergrande, is considered a back-up if their move for Verratti fails to materialise.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4646302/Barcelona-waiting-Verratti-force-PSG-exit.html#ixzz4lIaGhX5c
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