Barcelona to go all out for crack €120m striker wanted by Tottenham

Barcelona have identified the man they see as the ideal person to provide cover and competition for Luis Suarez – and are readying a huge summer swoop, according to reports in Spain.

The Uruguay hitman has been his usual reliable self this season, scoring 23 goals goals and providing nine assists in 44 appearances so far, but Barca have little strength in depth and have been linked with several back-up striking options.

They have been strongly linked with a move for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Luka Jovic, who has been valued at €45m, while Timo Werner of RB Leipzig and Krzysztof Piątek – prior to his January move to AC Milan – were also touted as possible targets.

However, Mundo Deportivo claims Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has identified Valencia striker Rodrigo Moreno as his No 1 target this summer – despite the fact that the 28-year-old frontman will not come cheap.

The 15-times capped Spain striker has scored 11 times in 26 appearances this season and is just one shy of a landmark 100th career goal from just 330 appearances.

But the Rio de Janiero-born star is contracted to Los Che until summer 2022 – with his deal containing a huge exit clause of €120m.

Mundo Deportivo, however, claims Barca are confident of signing Moreno for a fee described as ‘significantly less’ than the release clause, though the article does not disclose how much the LaLiga leaders would likely need to fork out for the the player.

He has also been mentioned as a potential target for Tottenham, with Mauricio Pochettino described as seeing the player as perfect for keeping Harry Kane on his toes.

Moreno spent an ill-fated season on loan wit Bolton earlier in his career, where he scored just once in 17 appearances.