Antonin Barak is putting together another strong season at Verona, and his performances have not gone unnoticed. The Scaligeri are open to selling him in January, provided he stayed on loan until the end of the campaign, local newspaper L’Arena reports.
The Czech midfielder was on Inter and Milan’s radar in the past summer. They made different choices in the role, but they remain contenders to sign him. Verona are asking for €20M, €5M more than in the previous window. They are highly interested in getting a youngster in return, and that element could make the difference in the race.
Barak has some suitors abroad too. Mainz scouted him recently, while Newcastle pursued him in the past, although they have more urgent matters at the moment. West Ham are chasing after him, and they are in a significantly better position in the Premier League standings. One of their emissaries attended a recent Verona tilt.
The 27-year-old thrived under Ivan Juric but was not hurt by the ensuing coaching changes. Thanks to a few penalty kicks, he has already hit the net five times. He has provided three assists as well. Verona used the same gambit in previous years. They sold Sofyan Amrabat to Fiorentina and Amir Rrahmani to Napoli in January, temporarily holding onto them for six months.
The Scaligeri are hoping to drum up a bidding war to cash in as much as possible. As far as possible additions are concerned, they are eyeing Atalanta’s Aleksey Miranchuk and Ah-Ahli’s Ezgjan Alioski.