Barcelona Preparing €30m Offer For Porto’s Bruno Alves - Report

Barcelona are continuing their search for a reliable defender to strengthen their back line, and they look set to step up their chase for Porto centre-back Bruno Alves.

According to Portuguese paper A Bola, Barca are on the verge of preparing a “solid offer” for the 27-year-old, believed to be around the region of €30 million, the exact amount of his buy-out clause.

Porto president Nuno Pinto da Costa has already stressed that he will not let the defender go for anything less than that, and the Blaugrana have so far refused to meet the asking price, with some reports suggesting that they would only go as high as €20m.

But there have also been rumours that the Catalan giants are willing to include either Henrique, back from Bayer Leverkusen, or Keirrison, soon to arrive at the Camp Nou from Palmeiras, in the deal to reduce the cash payment for Alves.

The Portuguese, who has a contract with the Dragoes until 2012, has become one of the most sought-after defenders in Europe this summer, with the perennial heavyweights such as Real Madrid, AC Milan and Chelsea also reportedly after his signature.  

KS Leong, Goal.com