Barcelona transfer news: Catalans 'step up negotiations' to sign PSG star Marquinhos with £31m offer

Barcelona have stepped up negotiations to sign Marquinhos ahead of next season, and are ready to pay around €40m (£31m, $44.8m) to Paris Saint-Germain for his services, according to Sport. The Spanish publication claims both Chelsea and Manchester United are interested in the Brazil international's signature, but the player's key desire is a move to the Nou Camp instead.

The current La Liga champions have earmarked the signing of a world-class centre-back to partner Gerard Pique as their top priority for the coming mercato. Javier Mascherano has been heavily linked with a move to Juventus, while both Marc Bartra and Thomas Vermaelen are expected to leave the club over the summer, having fallen out of favour with manager Luis Enrique.

Marquinhos and Athletic Club Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte had been tipped as the two main candidates to bolster Barcelona's backline in recent months, but the Catalans have been monitoring the former since his days at Roma – when PSG beat them to his services by paying £27m to the Serie A outfit in the summer of 2013.

But speculation about Marquinhos making a La Liga switch have been a feature of recent transfer windows, amid suggestions the 22-year-old is frustrated with his situation under Laurent Blanc, who has placed Thiago Silva and David Luiz ahead of him in the defensive pecking order.

Recent reports suggested Barcelona would have to pass on the chance of any deal, as the Ligue 1 billionaires were not ready to negotiate a departure at any price.

However, Sport now claims the Catalan outfit are ready to make a last-ditch attempt to bring him to the Nou Camp, as Barcelona believe he is the perfect player to join Pique in the heart of Luis Enrique's defence.

The Catalans are thus ready to tempt PSG with a €40m offer, with Marquinhos preferring a move to the current Copa del Rey champions over a transfer to the likes of Manchester United or Chelsea.