Tottenham tempting Barcelona’s Marc Bartra in summer switch

Tottenham have already recently bolstered their defence ahead of next season’s Premier League campaign, after the acquisition of Austria international Kevin Wimmer, but the capital club are now closing in on another talented centre back in the form of Barcelona’s Marc Bartra.

La Masia’s youth graduate has been part of the Nou Camp first-team since 2010 but, after making just 11 La Liga starts during the whole of last season, the Spaniard is seeking a move away from the Catalan giants in search of regular competitive action.

Bartra reportedly has an £8.7m buy-out clause within his current contract at Barca, and Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is keen to lure the Spain international defender to White Hart Lane to sure-up his backline for an attempt to secure a top four position next term (5/1 with Coral).

The former Spain Under-21 centre back’s representative, Javier Diaz, recently claimed that there are plenty of potential suitors for his client, including from the Premier League.

“There is interest in Marc from England and other countries in Europe,” stated Bartra’s agent.

“This is normal, but I cannot speak about the clubs. He is happy at Barcelona but he wants to play more games and we will look at the options. He has a €12m release clause in his contract.”

Although, Tottenham will need to make swift movement for the Spanish defender if they truly want to secure his services, with his agent also revealing that his modest release clause will only last for the remainder of this month, before rocketing in price.

“His release clause has fallen to €12m after failing to make a certain number of appearances, but that’s only until July 1, when it goes back up to €30m,” continued Diaz.

“Marc is very happy at Barcelona, but if there was real interest from clubs where he could get more space then we’ll listen and make our own decisions.”

The 24-year-old still has a further two years remaining on his current Nou Camp deal, having only signed a contract extension last summer, and has made a total of 45 appearances for the club, including many outings in the Champions League.

After featuring for his country at every age level, from the Under-16s up to the senior set-up, Bartra is sure to bring plenty of quality and experience to the Tottenham backline, with the Londoners having recorded the worst defensive record of the top 13 Premier League clubs last term, conceding 53 times in total.

Pochettino must act quickly to avoid being out-priced for his reported target, with several clubs also seemingly set to swoop shortly, but Bartra would undoubtedly be a beneficial addition to the White Hart Lane outfit next term as they aim to capture some long-awaited silverware success (11/1 to win 2015/16 Capital One Cup).