It’s no secret that Barcelona are scouring the marketplace for defensive reinforcements – one thing they take into account crucial earlier than beginning the 2026/27 marketing campaign.
Whereas the foremost focus is on discovering a long-term substitute for Inigo Martinez, the membership additionally wish to beef up their ranks within the fullback slots.
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This comes of Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde, which have compelled Barcelona to think about signing options.
To that finish, one of many gamers Barcelona had been monitoring for a very long time is Andrei Ratiu, who’s thought to be among the best full-backs in La Liga.
Large blow for Barcelona
Nevertheless, in a significant improvement, Ratiu has prolonged his contract at Rayo Vallecano till 2030, thus thwarting Barcelona’s hopes of signing him anytime quickly.
Ratiu is regarded extremely in La Liga. (Photograph by Alex Caparros/Getty Pictures)
In response to , Barcelona have been all the time occupied with Ratiu’s companies however by no means approached the Romanian, primarily attributable to as a superb backup for Kounde at right-back.
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Different European golf equipment have been eager on buying Ratiu’s companies, however Rayo Vallecano remained steadfast and have been in a position to signal a contract whereas holding on to the €25 million launch clause.
Now, with the contract extension, the worth of the brand new launch clause has not been talked about, however it’s presumed to have elevated additional.
This makes issues much more troublesome for Barcelona, understanding that the membership must pay much more to signal Ratiu ought to they revisit their curiosity within the Romanian defender subsequent summer season.
Thankfully, although, the right-back place will not be a right away concern for Barcelona, who’re extra nervous concerning the left-back place and the shortage of an alternate for Balde.