Barcelona to offload flop after ONE season

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 30 Mar 2024 20:47 GMT
• 3 min read

Inigo Martinez only joined Barcelona from Athletic Bilbao last summer, but the Blaugrana are now trying to help him find a new club according to a report in Spain.

Spain centre-back Martinez joined Barca on a free transfer last summer, and has fallen down the pecking order after initially impressing at Camp Nou.

Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen have been the first-choice central defensive partnership for much of the season, and the emergence of Pau Cubarsi has put further pressure on Martinez's place in the side.

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Xavi has reportedly been happy with Martinez's performances when he has been called upon, but with the club still wrestling with a debt that stands at €1.2 billion, they will try and offload him at the end of the season.

Martinez's salary a problem

"Barca are working on the idea of Inigo Martinez leaving next year," reports Sport's Toni Juanmarti. "Central defence is an area they could lighten their salary obligations, and Inigo currently earns around €8m gross.

"Joan Laporta and the club will try and find a satisfactory destination for the defender, one that satisfies the player on a sporting and economic level."

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Martinez attracted interest from Manchester City and Liverpool earlier in his career, but at 32, it is unlikely he will find an employer on such a scale next time around. Valued at just €4.8m by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, it is unlikely Barca will command a fee for the player who once cost Athletic €32m.

Former Chelsea man Marcos Alonso is also for sale, with Barca's defensive options set to burgeon further in the off season. Jules Kounde has been first-choice right-back this season but can also play in the middle, while Eric Garcia will return from what has been an impressive loan spell at Girona.