It caught all of us completely off guard, but it's already a reality. Iñigo Martínez leaves Barça to put on Al-Nassr's yellow and fill the gap left by Aymeric Laporte's departure from the Saudi team. There, he'll join great stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané, Brozovic, or his former Barça teammate Joao Félix, among others.
While it's true that the formula used to complete this transaction is a contract termination, it has its financial benefits for Barça. That is, Al-Nassr, in principle, doesn't pay anything for his signing; however, avoiding paying Iñigo Martínez's salary frees up €12 million in FPF for the culers. That's a relief for the club's coffers.
This could help Barça unlock some operations they were working on with little margin due to the financial situation. One of the most obvious is the registration of footballers who still aren't listed as Barça players in LaLiga. Along these same lines, the contract renewals of important members of the locker room.
The Busquets of the future, until 2029
Iñigo Martínez's departure has been a hard blow for FC Barcelona fans. One of the key figures in Hansi Flick's schemes, the commander of the backline, is leaving. He secured a spot in the starting eleven, leaving Ronald Araújo on the bench, thanks to his good performances on the field and his commitment to the club.
But Barça has a big announcement ready to make up for the widespread sadness among the blaugrana faithful. It's news that had been in the works for a while, but had never fully materialized. Marc Bernal is going to renew with Barça until 2029, according to José Álvarez. It'll become official this month and, in principle, the €500 million release clause will be kept. Another young talent secured.
Moreover, the El Chiringuito contributor has stated that several LaLiga clubs and also foreign clubs have tried to sign Marc Bernal. However, Barça has rejected all the offers that have reached Camp Nou's offices for him. We already saw at the start of last season, before his serious injury, that Hansi Flick trusted him greatly. In fact, he was a regular starter in the double pivot.
This year, with Pedri and Frenkie de Jong as flawless holders of the two spots in that midfield line, we'll see how Hansi Flick manages to give Marc Bernal minutes. Step by step. The first step is for him to gradually regain his form after such a cruel injury. In principle, his return to the field is expected for the Joan Gamper next weekend.