Barcelona eye Everton reject

An Everton reject could turn out to be Barcelona’s defensive salvation.

Shkodran Mustafi was brought to Goodison Park as a teenager by David Moyes but failed to make a single league appearance before moving to Sampdoria on a free transfer.

After impressing in Serie A he moved to Valencia in 2014, where the World Cup winner has caught the eye of Barcelona in two seasons of impressive displays.

Valencia are keen on signing Barca back-up Marc Bartra this summer, with the Spain international expected to leave in search of first-team football.

And if the Spanish champs are keen enough on 24-year-old Mustafi then they may use Bartra as a makeweight in any deal, according to local paper SPORT.

Barcelona are looking for an elite young centre-back this summer as they begin to rebuild their defence. But while Marquinhos remains their top target, he will have to force Paris Saint-Germain to sell him and there is no guarantee that the Ligue 1 champions won’t dig their heels in.

So the Nou Camp club are considering other options, and while the likes of John Stones and Aymeric Laporte have already been discarded , Mustafi fits the bill.