Barça makes Iñigo Martínez's departure official
Needing salary space to register signings, the club has agreed to the departure of the Basque centre-back.
BarcelonaA very surprising move in the Barça transfer market. Iñigo Martínez, one of Hansi Flick's most important players last season, is leaving. The Ondarroa-born center-back, with a contract until 2026, had sparked interest from Saudi Arabian clubs and is leaving Barça with immediate effect, as reported by transfer journalists Matteo Moretto and Fabrizio Romano and confirmed by ARA on Thursday afternoon. The move was made official this Saturday.
Martínez, who missed the final two matches of the Asian tour due to discomfort, had a contract until the end of this season and will free up a fairly large salary that will help with the registration of Joan Garcia, Marcus Rashford, and Gerard Martín. Barça will not receive any transfer fee in return, but will receive between 13 and 14 million euros in salary cap space, which without the 1:1 rule will not be valid for any immediate registrations, although it will contribute. The deal is reminiscent of last year's İlkay Gündoğan, who ended up at Manchester City on a free transfer after having been a regular, freeing up a significant salary.
'Gifted' in a similar way to Gündogan
Without the Basque defender, Flick will have a considerable gap in the defensive core, as he doesn't have another specific left-footed center back. This move consolidates Ronald Araujo's continued presence in the squad, as well as Andreas Christensen's, who, like Iñigo, has a contract until 2026. The position would also be filled by Eric Garcia and Pau Cubarsí, in addition to Gerard Martín, who has played at left center back this preseason, replacing the very young Jofre Torrents. Aside from his sporting merits, Martínez is a significant asset to the squad. A captain without the armband.
Iñigo Martínez, who turned 34 in May, did not train with Barça on Thursday afternoon and flew to Saudi Arabia on Friday. His destination club is Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where Cristiano Ronaldo and João Félix play. The Saudi club was looking for a replacement for Aymeric Laporte, who is likely to return to Athletic Club this summer following Yeray Álvarez's doping ban.