Luis Enrique is facing the prospect of losing Javier Mascherano to Juventus this summer, and the Barcelona manager has earmarked Marquinhos as his replacement to partner Gerard Pique in defence.
The 22-year-old complained of being marginalised at times by Laurent Blanc at the Parc des Princes last season, despite eventually featuring in 38 games in all competitions, and Spanish daily Sport are reporting he would be interested in a move to the La Liga giants.
Barcelona have made the reported offer of £40million to prise Marquinhos away from the French capital and the Catalan club's transfer committee - headed by Enrique - are confident of pushing through the transfer with the guarantee of being one of the first choice centre halves.
Marquinhos has previously voiced his desire to play alongside his compatriot Neymar at club level, and while the player has also been linked in recent days to both Manchester United and Chelsea, his preference is a move to Barcelona.
Javier Mascherano's future remains uncertain, with the same Spanish paper reporting earlier this week that the Argentina international had agreed a three-year deal at Juventus, but Barcelona are fighting desperately to keep hold of the former Liverpool midfielder.
Marquinhos' mooted arrival is more likely to serve as the ideal replacement for Marc Bartra, who will announce his departure from Barcelona in the coming days after falling down the pecking order under Enrique.
The youth academy product made just 26 appearances last campaign and with Marquinhos aged just 22, it is believed the Brazilian can form a crucial part of the club's back line for the next decade - as was the intention with Bartra.
Another attraction for Barcelona is Marquinhos' versatility with the defender capable of playing both as the left-sided centre back as well as at full back, meaning he can also serve as back-up for compatriot Adriano.
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