Barcelona negotiating sale of Marc Bartra to Napoli

Are you a fan of the idea of Napoli buying a good defender? Then you're in luck: after rumors came out last week that Napoli were considering making an approach for Barcelona defender Marc Bartra, word comes now that Napoli have opened negotiations with the Spanish giants to sign the defender.

Bartra, 24, would by that report be available for between €12-14 million, with additional bonuses depending on how much Napoli are willing to pay up front. That would be a screamingly good deal for a young defender of Bartra's skill level and potential, and if Napoli can make that deal work, they have to do it. Making things easier in negotiations is that Bartra has apparently indicated a preference to go to Napoli, so, y'know, make it work guys. Just do it.

Bartra is a graduate of Barcelona's famous La Masia academy, a talent farm that has given the Catalan superpower club a ton of top-shelf talent over the years. He's arguably the best defender to come out of it since Gerard Pique, but because Pique and a couple other very good center backs are all in the Barcelona squad, Bartra hasn't gotten many chances to show off just how good he can be. And make no mistake -- he can be very good. He could easily walk into Napoli's starting eleven and make it better if they sign him.

Napoli reportedly wanted to wait until after Barcelona's presidential elections were resolved, but with Josep Bartomeu retaining his place this past weekend, that's all sorted out. Now they've made their advance, and it sounds as though things could actually move quite quickly. This is excellent news for Napoli and would be incredibly promising to see them pursue.