Barcelona defender unexpectedly switches to Saudi Arabia

Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez will switch to Saudi Arabia and leave the team soon. The Barcelona club recently reported unexpected news: the main central defender Inigo Martinez is about to leave the team and transfer to Saudi giant Riyadh to win. According to reporters Matteo Moreto and Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona, the players themselves and Riyadh victory have entered the stage of in-depth negotiations, and SPORT has also confirmed this trend from the club's sources.

34-year-old Inigo joined Barcelona in the summer of 2023, and the contract originally lasted until 2025. Because his salary is at a high level in the team, his departure will release about 14 million euros of salary space for Barcelona, which is crucial to alleviating the club's financial pressure and completing the new season of player registration.

This transfer is not a fixed transfer fee transaction. Riyadh victory did not propose a specific amount, but used incentive clauses based on player performance as a quote. Although details are still being finalized, Barcelona believes that considering the player's age and current financial needs, this offer from Saudi Arabia is "unable to refuse".

Inigo's first season with Barcelona was troubled by injuries and failed to stand firm. But in the second season, he formed a solid partner with young central defender Kubasi and quickly became the core of the defensive. He made 46 appearances throughout the season, totaling 3,976 minutes, helping the team win three championships in La Liga, Copa del Rey and Super Cup, and also won wide recognition from locker rooms and fans.

Previously, Barcelona sports director Deco publicly stated that some of the five central defenders in the team must leave the team. At that time, the outside world generally believed that Danish defender Christensen was the main candidate. However, the situation suddenly changed, and now the main central defender Inigo is closer to leaving, and he was even regarded as a potential captain after Ter Stegen.

Inigor's departure is also related to the special terms in his personal contract. It is reported that the two parties reached an agreement when renewing the contract: if they receive a "unrefused" offer, the club will allow him to leave the team freely. Saudi Arabia's favorable conditions for almost double its salary obviously meet this standard.

With Inigo's departure, Barcelona's first team will have only four full-time central defenders: Kubasi, Christensen, the new captain Araujo, and Eric Garcia, who can play a guest center back. It is worth noting that all four of them are right-footed players, and the problem of lacking left-footed central defenders still exists. However, in the pre-season preparations, coach Flick has tried to let youth training young players Jofrey Tolentz and Herard Martin serve as left center backs, and the initial results are acceptable.

In addition, Riyadh Victory's "poaching" against Barcelona this time is not only for the players. The club is also currently in contact with former Barcelona executive Rafa Ust to discuss his possibility of becoming the club's CEO.

At present, Inigo's transfer has been basically finalized and is waiting for official announcement. Although his departure caused Barcelona to lose one of his main players, the salary space he received is expected to help the club complete the registration of new players such as goalkeeper Juan Garcia before the start of the league (less than 10 days). The club is also evaluating whether more signing operations can be promoted.