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Barca boss demands Kompany, Luiz, Agger, Vermaelen or Vertonghen before the season starts

Published: 08:33 EDT, 30 July 2013 | Updated: 08:33 EDT, 30 July 2013

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New Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino has handed club chiefs a shortlist of five Premier League defenders who he wants this summer.

The boss met with sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta on Monday to outline his transfer plans, and demanded one of Vincent Kompany, David Luiz, Dan Agger, Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen be signed before the season starts late next month.

The move will send shockwaves through English football's biggest clubs with each of the players vital to any hopes of a tilt at the title this season.

Case for the defence: Jan Vertonghen, Vincent Kompany, David Luiz, Dan Agger and Thomas Vermaelen are the players new Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino has told his bosses to sign before the season starts

Agger, Luiz and Vermaelen have been on the Catalan giants' radar for some time, and Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal are bracing themselves for increased interest in the coming weeks.

The Gunners skipper was formally approached last summer before being made club captain. However poor form has seen him pushed down into a back-up role to Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker. The Belgium international is also injured at the moment and likely to miss the first part of the season.

Liverpool's Danish centre-back moved to fend off interest by signing a new deal in October to extend his stay on Merseyside to 2016.

I want that one: Martino is keen to strengthen an area that has lost one player this summer already

Luiz has enjoyed a much improved campaign with Chelsea and has been targetted by Bayern Munich in a £40million deal already this month, and Jose Mourinho has publicly called for certain aspects of the Brazilian's game to be improved.

Bayern manager Pep Guardiola has long been an admirer of the 26-year-old, who signed a new five-year contract last September.

Barcelona's main area for concern heading into the new season is in the heart of their defence having been forced to play midfielders Javier Mascherano and Alex Song at times due to injury to Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol.

Stamping his authority: Martino has only been in the job a couple of weeks since replacing Tito Vilanova

Since reclaiming their Spanish title back from Real Madrid, Barca have lost Eric Abidal to Monaco and failed in their bid to bring Thiago Silva from Paris St Germain.

The £50m deal to bring Neymar from Santos remains the only piece of incoming business done by the club.