21-year-old central midfielder Nico Gonzalez has been pictured at a gym in Porto as his move to Portugal edges closer.
As we reported days ago, the agreement between Barcelona and Porto was in place with the last hurdle being the player agreement, with Gonzalez now in Portugal it seems almost certain that the deal will be confirmed in the coming hours.
Mundo Deportivo have reported that the deal for the Spanish U21 player will be a permanent transfer and Barca will bag between €8-€10 million, with a buy-back clause inserted into the contract.
Gonzalez has plenty of interest from both England and Spain, but with Porto having secured Champions League football by finishing 2nd in the Primeira Liga, it was always an attractive destination.
The Galician footballer was left out of the Barcelona touring party for the USA, and with reports indicating that Fermin Lopez is impressing the coaching staff, it was always difficult to foresee a way into the first team for Gonzalez.
Nico Gonzalez impressed during a loan spell with Valencia
Gonzalez spent the 22/23 season on loan with Valencia helping Los Che avoid relegation. Primarily deployed as a central midfielder or defensive midfielder, the Barca man made a living breaking up play and starting counterattacks.
The midfielder joined Barcelona as a 10-year-old and quickly rose through the ranks. In 2021 at the age of 19, he made his La Liga debut for Barcelona, often appearing as a substitute to see games out and give Sergio Busquets a rest towards the end of games.
In total he made 27 appearances for the senior Barcelona side scoring 2 goals, and while he’s leaving on a permanent transfer, it’s clear that Barca still sees a bright future for him.
Porto had wanted to secure his signature outright, but the La Liga champions were insistent on inserting a buy-back clause that is likely to be double that of the figure paid.
If Gonzalez impresses in Portugal next year, he could return to Catalonia in the near future.
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