Barcelona closing in on young defender

Barcelona are closer to completing the signing of Mauricio Lemos after increasing their bid to €8 million, according to AS.

The club had already received an offer from Barca, which the President deemed as 'insufficient', but have now increased the bid further in the hope of securing the 20-year-old's signature.

The new offer could reach up to €12m after bonuses, though Las Palmas are apparently interested in receiving the sum upfront.

With Marc Barta already signing for Dortmund and Dani Alves' move to Juentus imminent, the Catalan giants will need to bring in some defensive reinforcements this summer.

Along with Lemos, Barcelona are also interested in Athletic Bilabao's Aymeric Laporte.