EXCLUSIVE
Geoffrey Kondogbia has emerged as a surprise target for Barcelona who may look to the Inter midfielder if they fail in their attempts to secure either Marco Verratti or Paulinho, a source has told Goal .
All the latest Barca transfer rumours
The Blaugrana have made contact to see if Kondogbia would be interested but remain a long way from making a move for the former Monaco star, as they favour Paris Saint-Germains's Verratti.
PSG are desperate not to sell Verratti at any cost to a Champions League rival and the club is keen to convince the Italian midfielder that they remain ambitious with heavy investment in the transfer market.
Barcelona are also looking at Guangzhou Evergrande's Paulinho as an alternative and they have already begun talks for the former Tottenham man alongside those for Verratti.
Paulinho has a £35 million release clause which Barca are unwilling to pay while Guangzhou's manager Luiz Felipe Scolari is not keen on selling his midfielder with new rules making foreign imports increasingly difficult in the Chinese Super League.
Getty
Getty Images
An imposed 100% tax on foreign transfers by the Chinese Super League would hinder Scolari's side from finding a replacement for the Brazil international.
Whatever happened to Eric Abidal?
Kondogbia is thought to be happy at Inter but Barcelona could still make a follow up approach as they are forced to temper their transfer ambitions during Lionel Messi's contract renewal talks.
The 24-year-old has made 56 appearances for Inter and has had a mixed spell since his £25m move in 2015. He was widely described as "the next Yaya Toure" ahead of the move to the Italian giants.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)