Barcelona agree £36.5 million deal with Nice for Seri

Barcelona are on the verge of completing the signing of long-term target Jean Seri after they settled on a £36.5 million fee with Nice for the midfielder.

After months of negotiations, Barcelona have finally agreed to meet Nice's asking price for Seri and will officially unveil the £36.5 million signing of the Ivory Coast international next week, according to Spanish news site Mundo Deportivo.

The Catalan side were looking to get the player for £29 million previously but with the transfer window shutting in 11 days, Barcelona's desperation to complete a deal for Seri has seen them succumb to the heavy asking price from Nice.

PSG were believed to have also been interested in Seri but have recently turned their attention to completing a whopping £160 million deal for Kylian Mbappe. That made Barcelona the clear frontrunners for Seri, who was named in the Ligue 1 team of the season on the back of a terrific campaign. 

Seri will become Barcelona's fifth signing of the summer after Paulinho, Nélson Semedo, Gerard Deulofeu, and Marlon Marlon. With a deal for Phillipe Coutinho proving to be difficult after a third bid of £119 million was turned down, manager Ernesto Valverde has quickly moved to sign Seri, who will add mobility and solidity to his current midfield. 

The 26-year-old's arrival will likely lead to the departure of Arda Turan and Andre Gomes, both of whom have underperformed since their move from Atletico Madrid and Valencia respectively.