Jules Kounde now tends to move on to Chelsea, therefore Barcelona is considering their alternative choices for the center of defense.
Inigo Martnez is being sought after by the Blaugrana because his deal with the Spanish national team’s center back expires in 2023.
Onda Vasca claims that Barcelona has notified the Basque club that they are prepared to make a strong offer for Martinez even though they will not meet his buyout price of 80 million euros.
Bilbao will let the player make the final decision; if he decides not to extend his contract and wants to leave, the club will negotiate a release that won’t cost him his release clause but won’t be less than 50 million euros.
(🌕) JUST IN: Barcelona is now pressing for Iñigo Martínez, who’d like to leave. Their interest is activated. Bilbao is open to the idea of letting him leave for free if he doesn’t renew. @PatxoDelaRica @relevo #Transfers 🇪🇸
— Reshad Rahman ✆ (@ReshadRahman_) July 22, 2022
Jon Uriarte, the new Athletic president, is facing his first major hurdle since entering office in June. Renewal of Martnez’s contract is one of his board of directors’ top priorities, but if the center-back is going to leave, it’s important to make the most of the situation.
He joined Athletic in January 2018 after Real Sociedad met his 32 million euro buyout clause. He signed for five seasons, and negotiations for a renewal were placed on hold by the previous administration.
The player will be informed of any offer from Barcelona since he is already aware of the Catalan club’s interest if they decide to make one now that they have used their final “economic lever.” Athletic Club would recognize that they must negotiate his sale as long as the player wishes to go, whether now or at the expiration of his contract.
Athletico Bilbao is currently lacking in center backs after recently letting Unai Nunez depart on a loan with a purchase option. If Martinez were to leave, they would only have Athletic Club B’s Daniel Vivian, Yeray Alvarez, Alex Petxa, and Aitor Paredes to fall back on.
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