Barcelona tried to get Luka Jović on loan - report

Barça are still keen on the striker.

FC Barcelona tried to get Luka Jović on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt over the winter transfer window, according to Mundo Deportivo. The paper says that sources from both Barça and from Jović’s entourage confirm there were talks of a loan, but the details do not fully match up.

Namely, Jović’s entourage says that Barcelona made an offer of a loan with a mandatory purchase option, but that Eintracht Frankfurt denied it because he was considered an indispensable piece for their Europa League campaign. However, sources from the Catalan club say that Barça did want to bring the player in on loan, but had not made an offer that included a mandatory buy option.

The interest in the Bundesliga’s top scorer is “real,” claims MD, but it’s not yet decided if Barcelona will buy him this summer. That’s perhaps why Barca had not made a concrete offer with a final purchase price.

Jović plays on loan from Benfica, but Eintracht Frankfurt hold a buy option valued at 12 million euro, which it is assumed they will use. However, the report states that any club can make an offer to the Portuguese club directly. If the offer exceeds 12 million, Eintracht Frankfurt have to match it to retain the player’s services.

In practice, this would mean that clubs who want to sign Jović have to either outbid the German club, or allow them to use their option and negotiate a higher price that they paid.

Barça are said to be scouting the market looking for a long-term replacement for Luis Suárez.

Source: barcablaugranes.com