BARCELONA
Why could Barcelona be forced to sell defender Iñigo Martínez only a year after signing him?
Martínez has had an injury-hit season since moving from Athletic Club last year, but his future could be out of his hands.
Barcelona’s ongoing financial difficulties may force them into making a big change to their roster ahead of next season, one which seemed unlikely only a few weeks ago. As reported by Catalan radio station RAC1, the LaLiga giants could sell defender Iñigo Martínez, who only joined the club last July.
Martínez a potential victim of Barça’s huge wage bill
The centre-back moved from Athletic Club on a free transfer and signed a two-year contract with Barça, but there may now not be space for him on their wage bill for 2024-25 due to LaLiga’s salary restrictions.
RAC1 claim that, in order to register Martínez for next season, the club would have to treat him as if he were a new signing as a result of the way his registration was managed ahead of the current campaign, when Barcelona had huge difficulty complying with LaLiga’s salary regulations. They would effectively have to add the 32-year-old as a new player, which could prove complicated given his salary and their desire to strengthen their roster elsewhere.
Cubarsí set to become Araújo’s long-term defensive partner
The emergence of teenager Pau Cubarsí means he will likely be Ronald Araújo’s long-term partner at centre-back, while there are also very high hopes for Senegalese defender Mika Faye, who currently plays for Barcelona Atlètic, the B team.
Martínez has endured an injury-hit first season in Catalonia, which has restricted him to only 10 starts. He missed the first three league games of the season with a foot problem and sat out 11 matches either side of New Year because of a hamstring issue.
Since his most recent return, he has started two of Barcelona’s last five games, although he was picked in the starting lineup in the first leg of the Champions League round-of-16 tie against Napoli.