Barcelona are lining up a summer move for Atletico Madrid defender Lucas Hernández. According to recent reports, the Catalans are looking to secure the services of the French centre-back after he put in some eye-catching displays at the Wanda Metropolitano during the course of this campaign. The 22-year-old player came through the youth ranks of Los Rojiblancos before breaking into Diego Simeone’s first-team this season.
Hernandez has featured in 32 matches for the Madrid outfit this season in all competitions and has been solid at the back which has helped his side climb to the second position in the La Liga standings. His rapid emergence in this campaign has alerted the Catalans and now, Ernesto Valverde’s side are ready to pounce on his signature in the off-season. However, it won’t be easy to prise him away from the Spanish capital as his current contract with Atletico Madrid is set to run until the summer of 2022.
Some sources are now claiming that the La Liga champions-elect are confident about their chances of luring the French defender to the Nou Camp this summer. Lucas’s brother Theo Hernandez was snapped up by Real Madrid last summer from Atletico and now, it seems like Lucas could follow in his brother’s footsteps and join a rival club in search of bigger adventures.
Barcelona are cruising towards another La Liga title with a tally of 76 points in 30 matches. The Catalans are 12 points above second-placed Atletico Madrid, having played a game more with just 8 matches to go in this campaign. It looks highly likely that they are going to secure another top-flight title in the coming months but only time will tell whether they can bag the Champions League with two crucial matches versus AS Roma looming on the horizon.
The addition of Hernandez will undoubtedly bolster Ernesto Valverde’s defensive options ahead of the new season and help them maintain their dominance in both domestic and European competitions. Barca have the likes of Samuel Umtiti, Gerard Pique, Yerry Mina and Thomas Vermaelen vying for a place in Valverde’s starting eleven. The potential signing of Hernandez will definitely add more competition for places in the Catalans squad.
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Hernandez is highly versatile and can operate in a number of different positions across the backline. He primarily plays as a centre-back but can also operate in the right-back position which makes him a perfect fit for Valverde’s Barcelona. It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of the Frenchman and whether he ends up making a switch to the Nou Camp this summer.
