Barcelona reach agreement with Porto over the sale of youngster with a buyback option

After Pablo Torre’s loan exit, it appears that Barcelona are close to completing the departure of yet another young midfielder this summer, with Nico Gonzalez likely to be on his way to FC Porto.

Indeed, according to Roger Torello of Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona and Porto have reached an agreement for the transfer of the 21-year-old midfielder, with the Catalans retaining a repurchase option for the future.

After having spent the last season on loan at Valencia, Nico returned to Barça hoping to find a place in Xavi’s plans. But given the number of options in midfield, there was simply no way the Spaniard could feature regularly. As such, he was told to find a new club to leave either on loan or permanently.

A number of La Liga clubs had shown interest, but Porto appeared to be the frontrunners for some time now, with the Portuguese heavyweights offering Champions League football for the midfielder.

An agreement between the player and the club was reported to be close earlier this week and now Barcelona and Porto have also agreed a deal in principle over the transfer.

The Portuguese bigwigs were reluctant to include a buyback option for Barça in the operation, but eventually gave in and accepted the clause.

With an agreement between the two clubs sealed, the deal is now hinging on Nico agreeing personal terms with Porto. The report suggests that the Portuguese giants have proposed a lower salary than what he currently earns at Barça and as soon as he accepts it, the deal will be done.

A product of the La Masia youth setup, Nico had enjoyed his breakthrough in the 2021/22 campaign. But given the competition for places, he had to leave on loan last summer and is now on the verge of a permanent transfer.