Barcelona and Arsenal have been boosted in their pursuit of Dayot Upamecano after it was revealed he has an £89m release clause.
The RB Leipzig defender has become one of the hottest commodities in Europe with the German side and is wanted by a host of clubs.
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Premier League duo the Gunners and Manchester United have both been linked with the 19-year-old star.
Italian side AC Milan have also been linked with a mega-money move for the former Red Bull Salzburg ace.
However, it is La Liga giants Barca who appear to be leading the race to snap-up Upamecano from the Bundesliga outfit.
And Spanish newspaper SPORT now claim that Ernesto Valverde’s efforts to bring him to the Nou Camp have received a shot in the arm after discovering his release fee.
With age starting to take its toll on Javier Mascherano and injuries blighting Thomas Vermaelen, Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti are the only real regular defenders at Valverde’s disposal.
He is desperately trying to bring in reinforcements to his squad and has identified Leipzig’s Upamecano as his No1 choice.
Despite the interest from the big boys, the player himself is refusing to fuel the flames of speculation.
When questioned over his future recently, he tried to dampen Barca’s expectations of signing him.
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He told Bild: “The interest of the big clubs honours me, but at the moment, only Leipzig counts.
“I have to work hard to reach my goals later.”
Reports claimed earlier this week that Jose Mourinho’s United were ready to battle it out with Milan in January for him.
The Reds have been closely tracking the progress of the youngster for the past two seasons, according to Calciomercato.
He has fast become one of Europe’s top defenders since completing an £8.8m switch from Salzburg in January.
Liverpool have also been previously linked with the Frenchman.
