When the news broke that standout centre back Iñigo Martinez was leaving Barcelona for Ronaldo-led Saudi Arabia team Al Nassr, many sources had said that the shock departure came down to a special clause in his contract allowing him to leave for free.
Now, Laporta has done an interview, and he suggested that this could’ve been more about finances than just an exit clause.
He suggested that Barcelona already had too many centre backs and that one should leave, stating, “He came for free and we already spoke before that if an opportunity like this comes, we would let him go.”
He also mentioned that Iñigo probably wanted to stay, suggesting he was more forced out than just by a clause, as initially implied.
Forcing out the best centre back on the team last season is quite a surprising strategy, considering players like Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen are injury-prone, and relying on them for a whole season is risky. It’s also quite a shock that Barcelona couldn’t get any sort of fee for Iñigo, considering Saudi Arabia has had no problem paying fees for older players.
Besides that, Laporta’s suggestion also implies that Barcelona has still not figured out a way to comply with the necessary requirements to register all their signings this summer.
There is still the sale of VIP seats and the medical report of Ter Stegen that could help them get there, but we will see if registration issues for Barcelona continue closer to the deadline.
