Barcelona prefer to retain 23-year-old returning loanee over veteran defender | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have some crucial decisions to make regarding the registration of their players in the weeks to come.

Given the Financial Fair Play situation, quite a few players are uncertain about their continuity at the club such as captain Sergi Roberto, who has a renewal proposal on the table, but it is subject to the Catalans’ ability to register him.

Another player who is facing doubts about his future due to the registration problems is Inigo Martinez.

Even though he signed a two-year deal last summer, Barça registered him for only one season with La Liga due to FFP woes and must register him again from scratch this summer.

Barcelona prefer Eric Garcia over Inigo Martinez

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, there is no guarantee that Barcelona will register Inigo Martinez owing to the lack of Fair Play margin this summer.

In fact, there is a possibility that the Blaugrana might prefer the continuity of returning loanee Eric Garcia over the veteran defender.

Staring at an uncertain future. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Garcia, 23, enjoyed a fine season on loan at Girona and could have done enough to secure a spot in the Barça squad for next season under Hansi Flick.

As per the report, Barcelona are leaning towards the ex-Manchester City man over Martinez owing to the latter’s age, versatility, as well as the fact that he earns a lower salary than the former Athletic Club man.

Martinez keen to stay

Despite the speculations and the uncertainty over his registration, Martinez is understood to be unfazed by the situation.

The seasoned veteran has only one goal in his mind – to see out the two-year contract he signed with Barcelona last summer.

As such, Martinez is not even thinking about the possibility of an exit, even though reports suggest that Barcelona have offered him back to Athletic Club as part of their offer to sign Nico Williams from the Basque club.