FC Barcelona are reportedly close to reaching an agreement to sign Athletic Club defender Inigo Martinez, with Aston Villa set to miss out on the 31-year-old.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the La Liga giants are almost done with talks to sign Martinez as a free-agent, with the defender excepted to leave Bilbao at the end of this season having been tracked by Barcelona for the majority of the season, much to Villa’s dismay.
El Desmarque recently reported that Unai Emery was keen to bring the Spanish international to Villa Park. However, with Barcelona now storming ahead in the race to sign Martinez, any deal from Villa now looks incredibly unlikely from the Premier League side.
Indeed, Barcelona have been linked with the Athletic star for quite some time, and for Villa, the Birmingham-based club were always going to struggle to land Martinez, who is now set to finally join one of the big three in La Liga having been one of the most consistent defenders in the division for some years.
As for Villa, missing out on Martinez could be viewed by Emery as a big blow for his plans next season, with the Spanish manager keen to bring in quality additions that could take the Villians to the next level in the Premier League.
Barcelona signing Martinez is a blow for Villa and Emery
Barcelona always felt like the club that would end up landing Martinez, yet the news will still come as a blow for Villa, who could have signed a quality defender in the prime of their career for next season, with this deal potentially causing some problems.
There’s a good chance that Emery wanted Martinez as a priority signing for the summer, and given how efficient Villa work behind the scenes, missing out on the defender to Barcelona will sting for the Premier League side, who will struggle to find an alternative in the summer.
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