AS Monaco forward Wissam Ben Yedder has confirmed that Barcelona have expressed an interest in signing him in the past two transfer windows. The Frenchman made the move to Monaco from Sevilla at the beginning of the season and he has since impressed for the Principality outfit with 18 goals and four assists in Ligue 1.

Speaking to Onze Mundial, Ben Yedder confirmed that the Blaugrana had made an attempt to sign him from Sevilla before he made the switch to Stade Louis II. He added that the Catalan giants came up with a renewed approach in January 2020 but a deal did not materialise before the transfer deadline.

He told: "Barcelona could have happened much earlier for me. Last summer they made contacts for me, they collected a lot of information about me and the same was true this winter, but the move did not happen. It shows I am doing a good job, but despite this interest I am totally focused on my performances with Monaco."

The Catalan giants were on the hunt for a new marksman during the winter transfer window following Luis Suarez’s knee operation. As per reports, the Catalans were prepared to offer as much as £67m for the former Bordeaux man but Monaco made it clear that they won’t part ways with the forward during the halfway stage of the season.

The La Liga holders eventually landed the signature of Martin Braithwaite from Leganes through the emergency option in February after Ousmane Dembele was sidelined with six months with a fresh hamstring tear. Suarez is expected to make a comeback for the Blaugrana before the end of the campaign but the club are bound to pursue another high-profile marksman, considering the Uruguayan has struggled with persistent knee problems over the past 20 months. Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez are among the targets for the club.