Barcelona table 1 + 1 contract offer for 34-year-old midfielder, Xavi has spoken with him

In a major update, Gerard Romero is reporting that in anticipation of Marcelo Brozovic’s possible transfer to Al Nassr, FC Barcelona are already making alternate plans to sign a defensive midfielder this summer, with Dani Parejo emerging as the new favourite.

With Martin Zubimendi and Joshua Kimmich out of bounds, Barcelona had made Brozovic their top target. And even though they are still trying to convince him to snub Al Nassr, they are making other plans as chances of the Croatian arriving look bleak.

As such, Parejo has now jumped to the top of the wishlist at Can Barça. The 34-year-old is a player that has been long-admired by the Blaugrana and is understood to have a clause in his Villarreal contract that would allow him to leave for free this summer.

Given his proven pedigree, experience, and potential availability for free, Barça are acting on their interest in Parejo.

In fact, Romero is now reporting that the La Liga champions have already sent in a contract offer to the veteran Spanish midfielder.

As per the update, Barcelona have offered Parejo a one-year contract with an option of an additional twelve months. Furthermore, manager Xavi Hernandez has already spoken with the midfielder about a possible transfer.

However, Parejo, for his part, is keen on receiving an outright two-year contract rather than a 1 + 1 offer. Despite that, there is optimism within the Barça camp over a deal while the player’s entourage also see the transfer as feasible.

Once Brozovic’s final decision is confirmed, the Catalans will accelerate the pursuit of Parejo, depending on whether the former has opted to sign for Al Nassr or not.

Apart from Parejo, Barcelona also have Girona midfielder Oriol Romeu on their radar. The former La Masia graduate has a €10 million release clause which can be activated this summer.

So, Romero is opining that if Brozovic does not arrive, Barça might sign Parejo for free and try to rope in Romeu as well.