A €45 million Atalanta defender has emerged as a top target for Barcelona as Hansi Flick seeks to reinforce the backline.
The player has impressed in a loan spell at Cagliari, combining defensive solidity with the kind of athletic profile that suits the physical demands of the modern full‑back role.
At 21, he is seen as a long‑term project with enough experience to slot into competitive first‑team football without a long adaptation phase, which makes him a prime candidate for a significant summer move.
The defender in question is Marco Palestra, an Italian right‑back who belongs to Atalanta but is spending the 2025–26 campaign on loan at Cagliari, as reported by Fichajes.
Palestra has caught the eye with his pace, recovery runs, and composure in one‑on‑one situations, earning recognition from the Azzurri setup and prompting several European clubs to open scouting files.
Reports suggest he could be available for an offer in the region of €45 million, with Liverpool and Barcelona positioned at the front of a growing queue that also includes Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea.
For Barcelona, Palestra fits into a wider plan of reinforcing their full‑back areas with younger, more defensively secure profiles who can still support the attack.
With Alejandro Balde already established on the left and the right‑side picture more fluid, the Catalan side sees the Atalanta man as a candidate to compete for minutes and eventually assume a starting role.
Liverpool, meanwhile, is looking for a more defensively reliable presence at right‑back after years of prioritising attacking full‑backs, and Palestra’s age and two‑way discipline match that precise brief.
If the transfer window turns into a straight race between Barcelona and Liverpool, the decision will likely hinge on how much each club is willing to bid and how much Palestra values La Liga’s profile versus the Premier League’s intensity and commercial pull.
Whichever club wins, they would be landing a defender who is already seen as part of Italy’s long‑term defensive planning and could become a key figure for the next generation of Serie A‑bred talent abroad.
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