Barcelona identify €30m rated star as potential alternative for priority target Joao Cancelo - Reports
According to ESport3, Barcelona are looking at Pablo Maffeo as an alternative for Joao Cancelo. Barca are keen on signing a new right-back this summer.
Cancelo is one of the club's priority signings in the summer, but signing him from Manchester City won't be cheap. Given Barca's precarious financial situation, they won't be able to spend much in the transfer market.
Hence, Cancelo is not a very feasible option for the Blaugrana, so Pablo Maffeo has emerged as an alternative for the Catalan club. He plays for La Liga club RCD Mallorca.
The 26-year-old made 37 appearances across competitions last season, bagging two goals and three assists across competitions. Maffeo has also played for the likes of Manchester City, Girona, Huesca and VFB Stuttgart.
Maffeo has a €30 million release clause in his contract. However, the aforementioned report says that Mallorca could be open to letting him go for a fee of €10 million and a player in exchange.
Apart from Barcelona, Sevilla are also reportedly interested in Maffeo and are in negotiations with Mallorca to sign the 26-year-old.
Inigo Martinez joins Barcelona
Inigo Martinez has completed a move from Athletic Bilbao to Barcelona. Martinez has extensive experience in Spanish football, having made 177 appearances for Bilbao across competitions. Moreover, the central defender has also appeared 239 times for Real Sociedad.
On joining the Blaugrana, Martinez expressed his happiness and said (via SPORT):
“It is a pride and a pleasure to come to this great team, to the best team in the world. You have placed a lot of trust in me, and I hope to repay it with enthusiasm and excitement."
He added:
“I can’t wait to get out on the pitch and live this beautiful and demanding experience. I have no doubt that everything is going to be great, and it will be a great year. Visca el Barca.”
Barca were defensively supreme last season. So, the addition of an experienced campaigner like Martinez will only boost solidity in their backline.