Barcelona meeting with key target’s agent did not lead to significant advances | OneFootball

Much like last year, Martin Zubimendi is at the top of FC Barcelona’s list of candidates to reinforce the midfield position that was vacated by Sergio Busquets.

The Real Sociedad midfield ace is one of the top targets for the pivot position along with Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich.

Despite having an agreement to sign Guido Rodriguez, Barça intend to bring in another player in the position, with Zubimendi being manager Xavi’s preferred option.

To that end, Barcelona sporting director Deco even held a meeting with the Spanish international’s agent, Inaki Ibanez, earlier this week.

Meeting not very fruitful

However, Mundo Deportivo now reports that the meeting between the Barcelona transfer chief and Zubimendi’s agent was not very fruitful.

The meeting had been scheduled in advance, as part of regular contacts between the two parties, only a few days before Barcelona faced Real Sociedad in La Liga.

However, the discussions between Deco and Ibanez did not lead to any significant advances, according to sources consulted by the aforementioned outlet. Some even indicated that other options have already been considered.

Barcelona remain keen on Zubimendi. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Barça are still interested in Zubimendi, but his €60 million release clause poses a hurdle for the club due to their economic constraints.

The Catalans informed the midfielder’s agent of their interest but also made it clear that, as of today, they do not know if they will be able to meet the economic conditions of the signing.

At the same time, Zubimendi’s representative informed the Blaugrana about the persistent interest that the midfielder is receiving from Premier League giants Arsenal and Serie A heavyweights Juventus.

On top of that, the player is happy at Real Sociedad and would be okay if there was no transfer in the summer.

So, as things stand, Barcelona’s chances of signing Zubimendi are not that great, unless there is significant revenue generated.