While Xavi has clearly identified most of the starters in the first 11 from the current squad, a few slots still remain open for grabs. One such position is the right back, which the Catalans have not been able to properly settle since Dani Alves’ departure.
A few players have tried tying down the spot since then, with Nelson Semedo and Sergino Dest being the most notable ones, but all these names have failed to provide a solution to Barcelona’s right-back problem.
From the names that Barcelona are now considering for this position, one is that of Arnau Martinez. Martinez currently plays for Girona, a team that has been playing eye-catching football under coach Michel, and who have been troubling the Liga bigwigs for the past few seasons. Despite the abundance of talent available to Michel, Arnau Martinez still has been able to get 15 La Liga appearances this season, which is a testament to his talent and potential.
The youngster’s contract with Girona currently goes up to 2025 and has a release clause of €20 million. According to SPORT, this is a figure that Barcelona hierarchy seems to be okay with, but will still try to negotiate with Girona to get the player even cheaper.
The player himself has already been associated with FC Barcelona in his career, as he was a part of the Prebenjamín and grew up to the Infantil A level before leaving the club. Anyways, Barcelona would get an opportunity to test just how good the young right-back is when they visit Montilivi for their La Liga match against Girona tomorrow.
