Thiago Silva has signed a five year contract at PSG, meaning Barcelona could move for David Luiz…
Barcelona target Thiago Silva, widely regarded as the best centre-half in the world, has signed a new contract with PSG, reports BBC Sport.
The 28-year-old Brazilian has extended his contract until 2018, despite only signing for the huge-spending French side last season in a massive £36m deal from AC Milan.
Barcelona had reportedly made Thiago Silva a priority this summer, but PSG flatly refused to sell him, and even threatened to make a bid for Lionel Messi unless Barcelona ended their pursuit. The French side also secured the £27m deal for Marquinhos from Roma, who was reportedly Barcelona’s backup option should they fail to sign Thiago Silva.
With only weeks to go before the start of the new season, the Catalan club have only Gerard Pique as a fit, established centre-half, due to the persistent injuries to 35-year-old Carles Puyol.
They could now target a third Brazilian centre-back, David Luiz, with Bayern Munich also interested, although Chelsea are reportedly unwilling to sell. The 26-year-old had an impressive Confederations Cup, and his technical prowess and ability to play the ball out from the back would suit Barcelona’s footballing philosophy perfectly.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has traditionally favoured more defensively minded centre-halves, so there had been rumours that he would be willing to offload the Brazilian. It now appears though that Luiz is not for sale, and Barcelona will have to turn their attentions to other players quickly if they want to secure someone before the start of the season.
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