FC Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano is reportedly set to join Juventus FC next season after he agreed to a three-year deal with the five straight Italian Serie A champions.

The 31-year-old Argentine center back has been with the La Liga champs for six seasons now since he was acquired from English Premier League side Liverpool FC in the summer of 2010 for a fee of €24 million.

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He had appeared in a total of 282 games in all competitions for Barça throughout the six years as Luis Enrique's main defensive man, helping the Catalonia giants with four La Liga titles,            three Copa del Rey's, and two Champions League trophies in the process.

Mascherano is definitely one of the most popular players in the most popular team in the world right now.

However, the World Cup-winning defender decided to exit the said team and move to Italy as he will receive "significantly more than he currently does with his contract with Barça," Caught Offside reported.

The veteran Mascherano said to have chosen to snag one last "major contract in his career" at his advanced age after he agreed to the deal despite being a key player at the Nou Camp.

The report clarified, though, that the Blaugrana must agree to let him go, which means his €100 million buyout clause must be covered, before he can officially leave for Turin in the summer.

Analysts believe that Mascherano will be a significant loss to Barça's defense moving forward and at the same time will be a huge boost to the Old Lady and their Champions League aspirations next season if such a deal will push through.

Daily Mail Online said that aside from Mascherano, "Dani Alves is also considering quitting the club" in the offseason.

Alves is also an important part of Enrique's defensive system and losing the two players at the same time this summer will surely bring chaos to the team.

Recent rumors said that the uncertain futures of the two starting defenders have caused much trouble in Enrique's summer transfer plans as his whole back four may be gone before August. Barcelona is already searching for two new first-team defenders as Marc Bartra and Thomas Vermaelen are allegedly ready to exit the Catalan club this summer.

Tags Football Transfer Rumors, Football Transfer Rumors 2016, FC Barcelona, Javier Mascherano, Juventus FC