FC Barcelona are having a tremendous season defensively, as they have conceded only 7 goals in 20 La Liga matches up to now, which is the least of any other club in La Liga. However, the club management is still working to ensure that the defense gets even better and remains a strong part of the team going forward.
This further improvement in the defense can be brought in the form of an experienced defender from Athletic Bilbao, Inigo Martinez. The Basque central defender holds a number of attractive attributes, that Barcelona may find irresistible.
For instance, he has a vast amount of experience playing in La Liga, and will also come for free as his contract runs out on 30th June this year. Furthermore, the player has also shown a clear intent to prefer joining Barcelona, and negotiate with other clubs only if a move to Camp Nou is impossible.
An approach by Barcelona to sign the defender was already made last summer, which was unable to materialize because of the club’s problems with La Liga’s Financial Fair Play rules. Now SPORT reports that contacts between the Catalan club and the player’s entourage are already well advanced, as Martinez still has not received an offer from Atheltic Club.
However, the club has also clearly let the player know that the possibility of any move to Camp Nou will depend mainly on the club’s ability to comply with FFP regulations. Other La Liga teams, like Atletico Madrid, are also in the race to sign him, but Martinez will definitely prefer a move to Barcelona before thinking about other possible destinations.