Here we go – Barcelona defender set to join Al Nassr in a free transfer | OneFootball

In a major development, it appears Inigo Martinez is indeed moving to Saudi Arabia – a move that was unforeseen about 24 hours ago.

It must be noted that Martinez, despite being a prominent member of the team last season, didn’t feature much for Barcelona during the pre-season trip to Asia.

At the age of 34, it appears that Martinez believes the time is right for him to leave Barcelona and kickstart the final chapter of his career.

Fabrizio Romano confirms Inigo Martinez move

Matteo Moretto was the first journalist to report on Inigo Martinez’s potential move to Saudi Arabia, with Al Nassr emerging as the likely destination.

Now, Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the move by giving his customary ‘here we go’ for the transfer.

Romano states that Martinez is all set to join Al Nassr on a free transfer, with Barcelona agreeing to terminate his contract that would have expired in 2026.

The veteran defender, therefore, is set to join Al Nassr as a free agent, with a contract until 2026 and an option to extend until 2027.

Martinez will become the teammate of footballing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still contracted to the Saudi outfit until 2027.

As for Barcelona, Martinez’s departure will free up some essential space in the wage bill, which may allow the club to register the new signings, Juan Garcia and Marcus Rashford.

However, it does mean that players like Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo may no longer leave the club as Barcelona have already gotten rid of one defender, as promised by Deco earlier in the summer.

It will be interesting to see how Al Nassr or even Barcelona confirm the departure. But everything suggests the Catalans will start the new season with Pau Cubarsi and Araujo in central defence.