Barcelona are reportedly facing competition from Bayern Munich for Ajax defender Noussair Mazraoui. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Bavarian giants have been in touch with Mazraoui during talks for Ryan Gravenberch.
Barcelona has already made an offer for the full-back, who is out of contract at the end of the season, but it remains where Mazraoui will end up.
Bayern Munich are weighing up for a move for the Moroccan right-back. The German side’s defence has been weak this season, and they kept a clean sheet for just the third time this year on Saturday when they beat Union Berlin.
They’ve identified Mazraoui and his Ajax teammate Ryan Gravenberch as the ideal solutions to the defensive issues. They are even willing to try to trump the offer Barcelona has made the former.
Mazraoui’s contract expires at the end of the season and Bayern are apparently willing to offer him a gross salary of 10 million euros per year. It’s not known how high Barcelona are eager to go for him.
Xavi Hernandez currently has Sergino Dest and Dani Alves as his first-choice right-backs, with Sergi Roberto, Oscar Mingueza and Ronald Araujo also capable of filling in there when needed.
But it’s become clear that it’s a position the Catalan club are keen to upgrade during the summer transfer window and Mazraoui, a Moroccan international, is the chosen target.
Mazraoui has been talking about his future over the weekend and offered some insight into what he’s looking for from his next club. Interestingly, the defender also spoke about his admiration for Dani Alves.
“He [Alves] is my example, his qualities are beyond doubt. My style, always trying to attack, is inspired by Alves,” he said before going on to talk about his future. “The project, the contract, the name of the club, everything is very important.
“But also the way in which you imagine yourself there. Two months remain [in the season] and I will take my decision during that time.”
Barcelona currently have Alves and Sergino Dest in the squad but have been linked with summer moves for Mazraoui and Cesar Azpilicueta. Alves’s contract expires at the end of the season, but it’s been reported he could stay for another year.
According to reports from Germany, the Munich squad planners met with Mazraoui’s side on Thursday, one day after Ajax’s Champions League defeat against Benfica Lisbon, to reaffirm their interest in the right-back, and give him a tempting first salary offer submit.
The offer should also be the last one. The Bayern bosses are said to have given Mazraoui on the way that no more improvements will be made. The offer should therefore be higher than what Barcelona has offered the 24-year-old so far, a little more than ten million euros gross.
