The negotiation has been prolonged due to the tough position of the Andalusian entity, which from the first moment had proposed to enter a large figure, and above all due to the interference of Barça, who through Xavi contacted Koundé for ask him to reconsider Chelsea’s proposal in exchange for playing at Camp Nou. The move from Terrasse, which he believes is a priority to strengthen the axis of the defense despite the recent arrival of Christensen and the upward renewal of Araujo, influenced the French player to the point that he was open to negotiating a economic agreement below the amounts offered to him from London. It is this predisposition that has fueled the possibility of Barça signing one of the best central defenders in the League. But the operation could not be finalized because a firm offer has never come from the Camp Nou for Sevilla, who will eventually sell to Chelsea and, in this way, will not strengthen a rival in the same league. For his part, Koundé will be one of the best-paid defenders in the Premier League.
All of this means that Barça must explore other options to improve the performance of the defensive axis. The favorite is Iñigo Martínez, an old acquaintance of the culer fans, who is back on the radar five years after he was about to end up at the Camp Nou. In mid-May of this year, the ARA reported that Ondarroa was in the selection of future centers in the sports area and, according to Onda Vasca and confirmed by the ARA, Mateu Alemany has contacted Athletic Club to negotiate for the player, who is 31 years old, his contract ends in 2023 and he has a rather high release clause of 80 million.
The intention of the new president of the Basque club, Jon Uriarte, has always been to renew Iñigo, but he is aware that the footballer is playing with time in case an offer arrives that could take him to a team built to win titles, such as Barça. The Biscayan leader also knows that if he refuses to negotiate he risks losing the opportunity to sign a sale this summer. Several Basque media speak of a starting price of 50 million, but the Basque offices are confident of lowering it substantially. In fact, the player’s market value is barely half that, according to the Transfermarkt portal. The Iñigo route is set in motion after the failed attempts with Koundé and Koulibaly, two players who will end up under Tuchel. The Basque defender won’t make a dent with his conditions at Barça. It is assumed that he will probably lose purchasing power if he lands at the Camp Nou. In return, however, he would join a project that wants to fight for everything. Without a doubt, the most difficult part of the operation will be for Athletic to accept Barcelona’s offer.
Clear road for Azpilicueta
At the same time, Barça is working on the arrival of another of Xavi’s express requests, precisely from Chelsea. It’s César Azpilicueta. Although he is about to turn 33, the versatile defender from Navarre retains the status of an absolute international thanks to a decade performing at a high level at Stamford Bridge. “We’ve been waiting for so long that now he doesn’t come from here anymore”, they say in a joking tone from those around the player, who has already had a paired agreement with Barça for months. The contacts even started before Laporta took office as president, and now they can finally translate into a signing that will cost between five and ten million euros. The Blaugrana sports area sees Azpilicueta as a wildcard piece for the defense, although he is originally considered a right-back, a position in which right now there are only Sergi Roberto and Sergiño Dest.
