Barcelona eyeing Inigo Martinez move after missing out on Jules Kounde

Barcelona are eyeing a move for Athletic Club’s Inigo Martinez, according to reports. 

The Blaugrana were interested to sign Jules Kounde but he is now close to joining Chelsea in a deal worth around €65 million. 

The Catalans have now turned their attention to Martinez who has been at Los Leones since 2018. 

According to Marca, Barcelona have contacted Athletic regarding a move for the 31-year-old. 

His current contract at San Mames is set to expire in 2023 and Bilbao reportedly prefer to extend his stay at the club. But if he is set to leave, they want to make the most of it. 

However, the Blaugrana are unwilling to pay his buyout clause of €80 million and so he could depart for a lower transfer fee than that. 

Should Barcelona sign Martinez? 

Inigo Martinez started his career at Real Sociedad before joining Athletic Bilbao in 2018 in a €32m deal. He became an important member of the squad and performed consistently for the Spanish outfit. 

Since his arrival at San Mames, the Spanish footballer has clocked up 159 appearances across all competitions, scoring seven goals and bagging seven assists (stats from Transfermarkt). 

Martinez is a proven performer in La Liga who is known for his incredible heading ability despite his modest 5 ft 11.5 inches stature. He is also praised for his ability to read the game as well as his leadership qualities. 

In his 364 appearances for both club and country, the experienced defender averaged 1.4 tackles, 1.9 interceptions and an incredible 4.8 clearances per game (as per WhoScored). 

However, he is now 31-years-old and Barcelona can hope to get only a few more years from him. Also, they cannot expect to receive a good transfer fee if they want to move him on. 

But if the price is right, they should definitely sign him this summer.