Barcelona have given young defender Marlon permission to speak to French side Nice over a permanent transfer.

The 21-year-old broke through the Camp Nou ranks last season, starting twice in La Liga and also featuring in the Champions League.

Marlon now looks likely to be on his way out of Catalonia, however, as Barca confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that he has been excused from training to open talks with Nice.

Barcelona handed the Brazilian centre-back a three-year contract in the summer following his impressive showings at the back, having previously spent time in the B team.

Ligue 1 outfit Nice finished third last season to reach the Champions League playoff stage, where they went down 4-0 on aggregate to Napoli.