Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen rival Barcelona for summer transfer target | OneFootball

La Liga giants Barcelona have been joined in the hunt for a leading summer transfer target by German outfit Bayer Leverkusen.

That’s according to Mundo Deportivo, who point towards Andrei Rațiu as the player in question.

Romanian international Rațiu, for his part, has long seen his name take its place front and centre in the media chatter across Spain.

This comes with the 26-year-old, in the midst of a stellar individual campaign on the books of Rayo Vallecano, having made his way onto the transfer radar of a number of leadng clubs.

The aforementioned Barcelona, amid a search for fresh options at right-back, are one such suitor.

As alluded to above, though, this week, the Blaugrana have been joined in the race for Rațiu by another leading European outfit, in Bayer Leverkusen.

As per MD, amid mounting concern that Jeremie Frimpong will be on the move in the summer, Rayo’s defensive standout has been earmarked as the ideal replacement.

Xabi Alonso and co, though, are aware that Rațiu will not come cheap, with the board at Vallecas ready to demand the full €25 million as per the release clause in the defender’s contract.

Conor Laird – GSFN