Xavi defensive target tells his club he wants to join Barcelona
Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but a player Barcelona has been linked to has reportedly told his club he’d like to join the La Liga champions.
According to Jijantes FC, Villareal defender Juan Foyth has communicated his desire to leave El Submarino Amarillo this summer, but the two clubs have yet to start negotiations over a deal.
ℹ INFORMA @JijantesFC
— Jijantes FC (@JijantesFC) August 11, 2023
Juan Foyth le ha comunicado al Villareal que le gustaría irse al Barça.
El jugador ya ha dado su opinión, ahora falta la parte más importante: que los dos clubes se pongan de acuerdo. pic.twitter.com/JOIDYvyCEH
This is a familiar cycle for Barca fans.
Step one – Barcelona are linked with a player
Step two – A report surfaces whether Xavi is for or against the move
Step three – A new report indicates the player wants the move
Step four – Financial difficulties get in the way.
So far this summer we’ve seen that process play out a number of times, especially when it comes to players like Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo.
Foyth makes a lot of sense for Barcelona
Despite Barca management meeting with the agent of 18-year-old Valladolid right back Ivan Fresneda for two hours, it’s believed that Xavi doesn’t believe the young fullback has enough experience to play with the first team squad this year.
Foyth has experience in La Liga (65 games), Premier League (16 games), Champions League (16 games) and Europa League (12 games), so would be a welcome addition to the Barca squad.
The issues up to this point are based entirely on the financial situation.
Foyth has a €54 million release clause in his contract, and Villareal has stuck to their stance that they’re not willing to negotiate for a penny less than that fee.
Even with the financial lever that was pulled today to inject cash into the club, Barca can’t really afford to pay €54 million for a right-back, especially if they want to bring in a marquee signing like Neymar or Joao Felix.
There has been some talk of Barca purchasing Ivan Fresneda and then loaning him to Villareal in some deal for Foyth, but I don’t really understand how that would be financially viable. Unless Barca were getting Foyth on loan this year with an obligation to buy him next summer, but that’s a complicated deal to get your head around.
One thing is for sure, the La Liga Champions need to secure the signing of a talented right-back if they hope to compete for another league title and the Champions League.
This Sunday, it’s expected that either Ronald Araujo or Jules Kounde will play right-back, despite them both being more natural as a centre-back. The sooner a signing is made, the better.
