Serie A giants following Barcelona defender closely with uncertainty over backline | OneFootball

Serie A giants AC Milan are keeping a close eye on what happens with veteran defender Inigo Martinez this summer, with little guarantee that he will be a key player for Barcelona next season. Martinez is currently not registered for next season, and Barcelona are well-stocked in central defence.

While it looks as if Mika Faye may move on, and Clement Lenglet will likely do the same, Eric Garcia could be younger competition for Martinez next season. Already Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo start off ahead of him in the pecking order.

The Italian press have linked Milan to the Basque centre-back, as reported by MD, as they consider potential alternatives to Fikayo Tomori – Newcastle United have supposedly taken a shine to the England international. The Catalan daily also say that Martinez is more likely to leave than stay at the club this summer.

Working in Martinez’s favour is that the Blaugrana will want to hold onto at least four central defenders, and even if his deal for next season is yet to be registered, he is the least likely to bring in a decent fee for Barcelona. On the other hand, Martinez was a signing championed by ex-Director of Football Mateu Alemany and ex-manager Xavi Hernandez, meaning Sporting Director Deco and new manager Hansi Flick have less loyalty to him.