Fabrizio Romano confirms Barcelona interest in emerging La Liga forward | OneFootball

For FC Barcelona, identifying transfer opportunities is always dictated by the club’s financial limitations. Affordable options remain scarce, yet one player has recently surfaced as a potential target in Villarreal striker Etta Eyong.

The 21-year-old Cameroonian has been making steady progress with Villarreal, impressing at both youth and senior level. He scored 19 goals and provided six assists for Villarreal B last season and has already made his mark in La Liga this term, recording a goal and an assist in the opening two matches.

His performances and relatively modest release clause have attracted the attention of Barcelona, although turning that interest into a concrete move presents significant challenges.

A complex deal for Barcelona

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According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona’s interest in Eyong was first revealed on August 21 by journalist Pepe Elias, who noted that Real Betis had also asked Villarreal about the striker’s release clause.

The story gained further traction yesterday, when Fabrizio Romano reported that Barça are indeed studying the possibility of signing Eyong, with a loan move potentially part of the plan.

The forward’s release clause is believed to be €5 million, though some sources put it closer to €10 million. On paper, that makes him a relatively low-cost investment for a club searching for value in the market. However, Barcelona’s real obstacle is not the transfer fee; it is once again Financial Fair Play restrictions.

The Blaugrana are still unable to register summer arrival Roony Bardghji, and the same issue would apply to Eyong, whether the plan is to integrate him immediately or loan him out. Until the registration bottleneck is resolved, any deal looks unlikely.

A loan move in mind

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Should Barcelona manage to close the signing, the most likely scenario would involve Eyong being loaned to another La Liga club. This would give him consistent minutes to aid his development before potentially returning to Camp Nou in a stronger position.

For now, the transfer remains speculative. Villarreal, meanwhile, are monitoring the market themselves, with reported interest in Ukrainian striker Artem Dovbyk. Should they succeed in bringing him in, Eyong’s path to regular minutes under Marcelino could narrow, potentially opening the door to an exit.

It is also worth noting that Cadiz CF, who sold Eyong to Villarreal in 2024, hold 50% of any future transfer fee, a factor that could influence negotiations.

At present, Eyong remains an exciting but complicated option for Barcelona: affordable in theory, but entangled in the same financial restrictions that have defined much of the club’s transfer activity in recent years.