Iniesta linked with shock €70m exit from Nou camp

Inter have reportedly enquired about the availability of Barcelona icon Andres Iniesta at a meeting between officials from the two clubs.

The Spaniard is a legend at the Nou Camp having won countless trophies and earned so many individual accolades over the years. However, at 33, he can’t go on forever and has started to see his presence in the starting line-up begin to dwindle.

That process will only continue moving forward as Barca need to bring through replacements, and that in turn seemingly has led to talk of a possible exit. La Gazzetta dello Sport report that Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio was at a dinner meeting with Barcelona counterpart Ariedo Braida on Monday evening, and Iniesta’s name was brought up.

His current contract expires in 2018, and while there was also an enquiry as to the availability of Aleix Vidal, it will be the possibility of Iniesta moving to Italy which will garner the most attention.

It would be a huge shock to see the veteran midfielder play for any other club than Barca, but at this stage of his career, it could be the most sensible option on the table in terms of being able to play regularly.

Meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo report that Barcelona have put in place a limit of €70m in their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti.

Despite there being various stumbling blocks in this deal, namely PSG don’t want to sell and if they do, they will demand something close to €100m, it seems as though Barca are going to stick to their guns and not overpay.

How much of that is down to choice or financial restrictions is unclear, but although the Italian international is considered a pivotal part of new boss Ernesto Valverde’s plans moving forward, the club won’t bow to crazy demands and will hope that PSG will consider their maximum €70m offer.