Barcelona eyeing Spanish midfielder with €10m release clause, Xavi already in contact

In search of reinforcements in the middle of the park, FC Barcelona have turned their attention to Spanish midfielder Sergi Darder, who plays for their local rivals RCD Espanyol, reports Tot Costa.

It is no secret that Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez is looking for new faces to add to the midfield department at the club. A move for Ilkay Gundogan remains the utmost priority for the La Liga champions, but they are open to adding another midfielder as long as the operation is cost-effective.

This has now led the Blaugrana to Darder, who happens to be the captain of their local rivals Espanyol.

The 29-year-old finished the 2022/23 campaign with a tally of six goals and four assists from 38 La Liga appearances and fits the profile of a goal-scoring, creative midfielder that Xavi is looking for, to relieve some of the pressure from Pedri’s shoulders.

What’s more, Barcelona could sign Darder for a lowly fee of just €10 million only, thanks to a release clause that exists in his contract with Espanyol.

The report goes on to state that Barça director Mateu Alemany has already made contact with Darder’s agents to explore the possibility of a transfer, although the talks are at a very initial stage at this point.

Furthermore, manager Xavi is also believed to have held talks with the 29-year-old midfielder about a possible move to Barcelona. The Spaniard is considered a viable option due to his low transfer fee and wages which would not be a burden on the club’s salary bill.

However, Darder, at this point, is not a priority target for the La Liga champions. Furthermore, the midfielder himself has concerns about a transfer to Barcelona given that he is the captain of Espanyol and has been the face of the team for a while now.

So, moving to a local rival might not go down well with the fans, and the midfielder has concerns about it as he would be staying in the same city. There is nothing advanced at this stage, but Darder could be an interesting option for Xavi & co.