Marcus Thuram 'offered to Barcelona on free transfer'

Barcelona have reportedly been offered the opportunity to sign Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram.

The Catalan giants are currently enjoying a mixed campaign, despite their dominance at the top of the La Liga standings.

After an early exit from the Champions League in the group stages, Barcelona were dumped out of the Europa League in the last 32 by Manchester United on Thursday night.

As a result, the Spanish outfit will miss out on important continental revenue which they allegedly budgeted for when going on a spending spree last summer.

While Xavi is still expected to be active during the next transfer window, Barcelona are said to have to make substantial cuts to their wage bill, potentially as much as €200m (£177m).

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A portion of that reduction will likely come through players being willing to reduce their income at Camp Nou, but at least one high-profile exit is expected to have to occur to help balance the books.

In terms of incomings, Barcelona have been linked with a wide array of names, many of them with high valuations, yet it appears that they may have an opportunity to sign a notable free agent.

According to reports in Spain, the representatives of Thuram have offered Barcelona the chance to sign their client.

Monchengladbach's star man will be departing the Bundesliga side in the summer after a four-year stay, it already being confirmed that he will leave at the end of his contract.

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Speaking to Sport1 earlier this week, sporting director Roland Virkus said that they "accept the fact that he will join a bigger club."

Thuram is said to rate Barcelona as one of his best opportunities, regardless of being able to earn a more lucrative deal at a Premier League team.

Manchester United, Newcastle United and Chelsea have all been credited as admirers of the versatile attacker since the turn of the year.

Thuram, who made five substitute outings for France at the World Cup, has contributed 11 goals and three assists in the Bundesliga this campaign.