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For a moment, the deal appeared to be done. There were claims of talk at the very highest level between club presidents. There were reports suggesting that a fee had been agreed. And then there were quotes from the player himself, in which he admitted that he dreamed of signing for FC Barcelona. Until there wasn't. Paris Saint-Germain centre-half Marquinhos has been linked to FC Barcelona for over a year, and in the past couple of days, that link has resurfaced with a vengeance. The deal was supposed to be done, and now Catalan radio station RAC1 have jumped the gun, mistakenly attributing quotes to the young Brazilian centre-half.
It's almost comical really -- Marquinhos is currently away on international duty, representing Brazil in the 2014 Toulon Tournament. Joining him in the squad is a young goalkeeper by the name of Marcos, and well, RAC1 have got their wires crossed, taking Marcos' quotes and reporting them as coming from Marquinhos -- prompting the PSG defender to take to Twitter to set the record straight. An honest mistake, but probably one that a reputable media outlet shouldn't be making.
Nevertheless, this is a deal that appears to be gaining momentum. With reports surfacing about Mehdi Benatia and his inflated price tag, there are rumours that Barcelona are abandoning their pursuit of the Moroccan international, instead placing all their eggs in a Marquinhos-shaped basket. In fact, the whole "centre-back" saga seems to be taking new twists and turns every few hours -- who knows what to believe anymore?
