Barcelona 'closing in on Matheus Fernandes signing'

Barcelona are reportedly on the verge of completing a €7m (£6m) deal for Palmeiras midfielder Matheus Fernandes.

The 21-year-old only joined Palmeiras from fellow Brazilian outfit Botafogo last year and has made just 12 appearances for the club, six of which have been starts.

However, Barcelona are understood to have been tracking his progress, and Mundo Deportivo claims that they view Fernandes as a potential long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets.

The report claims that the initial fee would be around £6m, with €4m (£3.4m) in add-ons to take the overall value of the deal just short of £10m.

Fernandes is contracted to Palmeiras until 2023 but has allegedly already informed his teammates that he will be leaving the club and trained away from the rest of the squad during a pre-season session earlier this week.

Barcelona are thought to have been interested in Fernandes for the past two years and could finalise the deal in the coming days.