The FC Barcelona squad is currently on its pre-season tour of the USA, but one of the players owned by the Catalan club who did not accompany the team to the States is the midfielder, Nico Gonzalez.
The player is close to a move and decided it was best for him to stay in Europe to finalize this move and join his new club instead of going for the pre-season tour.
The player has vigorously been associated with Porto in the last week, while other sides like Real Betis and Girona also showed an interest in him. Now, Mundo Deportivo reports that FC Barcelona and Porto have reached an agreement for the transfer of Nico.
Under such an agreement, Nico will move to the Portuguese club, but Barcelona will have a repurchase option. Further details on the agreement, including the amount Barcelona will receive, are yet to be disclosed.
The report claims that Porto were reluctant to include a buyback clause in Nico’s contract and wanted to be in full control of the player. However, Barcelona wanted a buyback clause so they do not miss out on a highly promising talent if he explodes to stardom in Porto.
While the two clubs have come to an agreement, the only hurdle to the transfer remains Nico’s own nod for the move. Porto are offering the midfielder a lower salary than what he is getting currently at Barcelona, and this remains to be accepted by the player yet.
As soon as Nico gives his go-ahead, he will become a Porto player, with an eye on helping his new club in the UEFA Champions League. Meanwhile, Barcelona would be happy to have offloaded one of the players that were not needed in Xavi’s plan, who can further grow and develop in an environment of lesser pressure.
