Barcelona ready to dump experienced ace after just a season

Although things remain relatively quiet at present, this summer could end up being a particularly busy one for FC Barcelona.

It seems clear that president, Joan Laporta, wants to be able to make a big splash in the transfer market, though in order to do just that his board will have to get creative with their accounting.

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For a few seasons now the club have struggled with Financial Fair Play, due in no small part to the astronomical contracts that former president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, was handing out.

Try as they might, Barca haven’t really managed to escape the threat of FFP, and that’s meant that in general terms, that they’ve had to shop in the loan or free transfer marketplace.

That’s hugely embarrassing for a club of Barca’s stature.

With wages consistently causing an issue too, one player that appears to be on their way after only a year at the club is Inigo Martinez.

According to MARCA, the centre-back could be surplus to requirements as new first-team coach, Hansi Flick, wants to re-integrate Eric Garcia into the team.

Garcia spent last season on loan at Girona, and helped them to an historic finish in La Liga, ensuring that they ended the 2023/24 campaign in the Champions League places.

The outlet suggest that because Garcia can operate as a pivot as well as a centre-back, he is more desirable for Flick.

He’ll clearly need to up his game, however, as Barca weren’t slow in farming him out to their Catalan neighbours after Garcia made a series of high profile errors.

Inigo Martinez still has a year left on his contract and it will be interesting to see how Barca plan to move him on.