Barcelona ‘attentive’ to Real Madrid winger’s situation, will track him at the World Cup

Players swapping Real Madrid for Barcelona or the other way around has become a rare sighting in modern football. But the upcoming summer window could see such a move happening as the Catalans continue to hold an interest in their arch-rivals’ winger Marco Asensio.

The 26-year-old is in the final year of his contract with Real Madrid and has been previously linked with a move to Barcelona in the recent past. Asensio himself admitted in an interview that he would not close the doors on a move to Camp Nou if a chance arose.

While recent reports have suggested that Real Madrid will look to offer Asensio a new contract, Mundo Deportivo is reporting that Barcelona continue to remain attentive to his situation and will even follow him at the FIFA World Cup, where he is representing Spain.

Asensio had endured a rough start to the 2022/23 campaign and had almost fallen out of favour under Carlo Ancelotti. But he was able to work his way back into the Italian’s plans at the Santiago Bernabeu before the World Cup break and was one of their top performers in recent weeks.

It has reportedly sparked a change in Real Madrid’s stance as they are now believed to be more open to offering a contract renewal to Asensio. Despite that, Barcelona continue to follow the Spanish international’s situation closely.

Asensio can negotiate with any club of his choice starting in January and sign a pre-contract agreement over a summer move as a free agent.

While Barcelona are well-stocked in the attacking unit, Memphis Depay is expected to leave either in January or in the summer, which would open up a spot in the squad.

Asensio is versatile, has plenty of top-level experience, is just 26 years old, and would come for free, which would make him an appealing target for Barcelona.

Only time will tell if the forward makes his way from Real Madrid to Barcelona come summer, but for now, he continues to be on the Catalan giants’ agenda.