Liverpool set to battle Tottenham for Barcelona defender Marc Bartra

Tottenham and Liverpool are reportedly set to battle for the signature of Barcelona defender Marc Bartra, who is unhappy at his situation at the Camp Nou.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the Spanish international, who has three years remaining on his contract, will be available for just £9m ($14.3m) due to a clause in his contract which stipulates that the fee will drop from the original £17.9m to the above mentioned amount unless he plays the agreed upon number of games in a season.

The Premier League duo are both keen on bolstering their defences ahead of next season, with Mauricio Pochettino looking at a replacement to cover for Younes Kaboul and Vlad Chiriches, both of whom are set to be offloaded by the north London club this summer.

Brendan Rodgers, on the other hand, is also looking at shoring up his defence despite having a host of players, who can play at the heart of the Reds' back four. Dejan Lovren, who was signed from Southampton last summer, had a difficult season and Martin Skrtel, the manager's first choice is yet to commit his future with the club.

The report claimed that Bartra is keen on a move as he fears that he will not be a regular fixture in the Barcelona team next season after falling down the pecking order following Thomas Vermaelen's injury recovery at the end of last season.

The 24-year-old defender's agent, Javier Magico Diaz has admitted that there is interest in his client from England and despite being happy at Barcelona he is looking at options, as he desires regular playing time.

"There is interest in Marc from England and other countries in Europe. 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," Diaz said.

However, Barcelona's sporting director Ariedo Braida has made it clear that the LA Liga giants have no intention of transferring the defender during the summer transfer window.

"We have no intention of transferring him. I consider him to be a player who is unavailable," Braida said, as quoted by Goal.