Martin Braithwaite has said that he does not plan to leave Barcelona, amid reported interest from Leeds United and West Ham United, as quoted in Marca.
Sport reported in November 2020 that Leeds and West Ham are interested in signing Braithwaite from Barcelona in the January transfer window.
The report in the Spanish publication claimed that the Whites and the Hammers have shown interest in the former Middlesbrough striker and have asked about his situation.
It was further claimed that Barcelona are willing to offload the 29-year-old Denmark international, who was said to be “at a great level” by his then Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez – now at Atletico Madrid – in Egypt Today in February 2020, as covered by HITC Sport.
Marca quotes Braithwaite as saying: “I like that the club is looking for other players in the market. It is meant to be like that in a team like Barcelona, which aims to have the best players in the world.
“You need to have internal competition. It does not frighten me, it motivates me. You need the best players in order to motivate everyone.”
The Barcelona striker added: “Next season, I will continue fighting for my goals. This season, we have the possibility to win many titles.
“This is my aim and I’m not thinking about anything else. This is the reason why I wake up every day and work so hard.”
Blow for Leeds United and West Ham United?
West Ham need to sign a striker, as Sebastien Haller has left for Ajax, and manager David Moyes would not want to be short in that area.
As for Leeds, Patrick Bamford is the main number nine at Elland Road, and it would not be a bad idea for head coach Marcelo Bielsa is at least look into the possibility of bringing in an out-and-out striker.
However, Braithwaite’s comments suggest that the 29-year-old does not plan to leave Barcelona anytime soon.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
