Barcelona are preparing a €50m (£43m) bid for Luka Jovic and hope to start negotiations with Eintracht Frankfurt in the next few weeks.

The Serbia striker has been in scintillating form this season, scoring 15 goals in 24 Bundesliga games while adding a further seven strikes in the Europa League on Eintracht’s way to the quarter-finals.

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The 21-year-old is on loan at Eintracht from Benfica but the German club have already agreed to sign him permanently at the end of this season. They want €65-€70m for the striker if he leaves this summer.

Barcelona have been interested in the 21-year-old, who has three caps for Serbia, for some time now with Ramón Planes and Eric Abidal watching him in action against Internazionale last week when he scored the only goal of the game as Eintracht went through to the last eight of the Europa League, where they face Benfica.

Barcelona have already signed the Ajax midfielder Frenkie De Jong for €75m and the Toulouse defender Jean Clair Todibo on a free.