Barca legend urges club to sign Italian ace

Barcelona legend Xavi has urged the Spanish champions to make their move for Marco Verratti this summer. The Italy international has been a consistent performer for Paris Saint-Germain in the past few years,

Verratti, who is also a target for Chelsea and Manchester City, has recently rubbished off claims over a potential exit as he dreams of lifting the Champions League crown with Les Parisiens.

In spite of this, the midfielder has admitted that he is a huge fan of Barcelona's style of play, and Xavi feels that the 24-year-old would be the 'ideal signing' for the Catalan outfit in the summer.

"Verratti would be the ideal signing for Barcelona in my opinion," he told Le Parisien.

"I think Verratti is a bit like me. He always goes in search of the ball quite deep on the pitch and then takes it forward and dictates play.

"Verratti is small just like me and he never loses the ball. His technique is incredible. He is a player I would love to see at Barcelona."

Verratti played a key role in Les Parisiens' 4-0 humbling of Barcelona in the Champions League, last 16, first-leg, but there must be no sense of complacency as Luis Enrique's are more than capable of erasing the deficit on their night.