In addition to making up a highly competitive team for the present, FC Barcelona have also laid a lot of emphasis on bringing in players who will form the core of the club’s future squad. Several young players have already got important roles in the team, while others are well on track to replace some veterans in the coming years.
Xavi’s central defense, made up of players like Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, and Martinez, has a fair share of experienced and young players. However, players like Christensen and Martinez are already in the latter part of their careers, and new players might have to come to replace them.
According to SPORT, Barcelona have already decided to bring in one player for this purpose in June. This player is Chadi Riad, who graduated from La Masia, and left the club on loan in the last summer transfer window to join Real Betis.
Riad knew he would not get much game time at Barcelona with Martinez’s arrival, and decided to ply his trade at another club where he would get more minutes. Betis, with Ramon Planes in charge, decided to bet on the player, especially since the Sporting Director knew of Riad’s quality from his time at Barcelona.
Injuries to starting defenders at Betis helped Riad get into the starting lineup, and the defender has had a breakout season with the Verdiblancos. He has now become an undisputed starter for Real Betis, and his performances have attracted the attention of several clubs across Europe.
One of the clauses in Riad’s contract with Betis allowed them to permanently sign the defender if he played a certain number of games. The player had met this condition with the season not even having reached its halfway point.
Thus, Betis will pay Barcelona €3.5 million for him, but Barcelona will exercise their buyback option to get him back for €7 million. The report mentions that Barcelona have already communicated their intentions regarding Riad to Real Betis and the player himself.
His arrival will also have implications for the current Barcelona squad, as another defender will have to be sold, particularly one who arrived for free and can be sold for a significant fee.
