Barcelona will acquire Spanish centre-back for free in 2023

Just minutes after news broke that Barcelona have set their sights on making an offer for long-time target Inigo Martinez, Gerard Romero on his Twitch show (h/t Carpetas Blaugranas) has broken a new development in the transfer.

After reports suggesting that Barcelona had contacted Athletic Bilbao president Jon Uriarte with the intention to make an offer for Martinez, it seems as though he may not join this summer at all.

Romero on his Twitch show Jijantes, has said that Mateu Alemany and Barcelona have agreed for the Spanish defender to join as a free agent in the summer window of 2023 after his contract with Athletic Club ends.

Having already splashed a lot of cash, with more transfers lined up, this may be a smart move for Barcelona if they can avoid spending any more money on an older player before making sales and reducing their wage bill.

The club have officially activated their second economic lever by finalising the sale of the remaining percentage of TV rights, which means there is now scope to sign and register new players.

However, this money needs to be carefully managed. Inigo Martinez, as a 31-year-old would be another older signing with not much resale value despite his proven experience in La Liga.

As centre-backs are still in their prime around the ages of 30-34, it would be ideal if he could be signed for free instead of spending cash on him now when the budget is already very tight.