Barcelona rivalled by Atletico Madrid in free transfer pursuit of La Liga veteran

According to Ruben Uria of GOAL Spain, Barcelona are set to face competition from Atletico Madrid in their free transfer pursuit of Athletic Club defender Inigo Martinez.

The 31-year-old centre-half has been on Barça’s radars since last year. His signing was considered in the summer when it appeared like Jules Kounde was headed to Chelsea. However, Barça secured the Frenchman’s signing, and Martinez stayed in Bilbao.

But, the La Liga leaders have continued to hold a strong interest in the veteran defender. His experience, leadership and left-footed nature make him an attractive prospect for the Catalans, who remain intent on signing him next summer, when his contract expires.

Recent reports even revealed that director Mateu Alemany recently met with Martinez’s agent over lunch, where a possible transfer might have been discussed.

However, now, Atletico Madrid have also entered the fray for the Athletic Club defender’s signing by reaching out to his representatives to explore the possibility of a transfer at the end of the season.

The report states that the Rojiblancos hold a firm interest in Martinez, but for now they have just made an enquiry and not tabled any proposal for the Spanish international.

The defender is free to speak to any club of his desire as he has less than five months left on his contract with Athletic. The Basque outfit has not tabled a fresh proposal for him either, which indicates that he could be on the move come summer.

Apart from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, clubs in England, Germany and Turkey are also said to be interested in Martinez.

It has previously been suggested that the 31-year-old already has a verbal agreement with Barcelona over a summer move.

But, considering the club’s Financial Fair Play issues and there being pressing concerns in some other areas of the squad, whether they will push through with Martinez’s signing and be able to register him in the summer remains to be seen.