According to Corriere dello Sport, Lazio are edging closer to agreeing terms on a new contract with Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij. Therefore, the Inter and Barcelona target is now highly unlikely to be available on a free transfer come the summer transfer window.

The Roman club are on the verge of being able to confirm that an agreement has been reached, as only the former Feyenoord man’s signature is missing. The new deal will be worth €2.5 million per season, which will rise to almost €3 million once bonuses are taken into consideration.

The club and player must now finalise discussions over how long the contract will run for, and what the value of the 25-year-old’s release clause will be. It looks as though the parties will agree on a figure of around €25 million. In any case, Lazio look set to avoid the stern possibility of losing the player for free.