Barcelona player terminates his own contract to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr
A Barcelona player will terminate his contract with the club in order to team up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.
Al Nassr have already been busy in the transfer market during the summer window, bringing in Joao Felix from Chelsea and allowing January signing Jhon Duran to leave on loan to Fenerbahce.
Most significantly, the club have extended Ronaldo's contract for a further two years, meaning he will theoretically still be playing for Al Nassr aged 42.
New manager Jorge Jesus - who replaced Stefano Pioli last month - is now turning towards improving his defence.
Advert
And Fabrizio Romano reports that a deal has been agreed to sign defender Inigo Martinez, who made 28 appearances in La Liga for Barcelona last season, pending a medical.
The Spaniard was a regular starter under Hansi Flick, but is now set to leave the club.
ESPN claim that, although Martinez has a contract at Camp Nou until 2026, he is set to terminate the deal, with Barca content to allow him to leave as a free agent due to their financial issues in relation to signing and registering players with La Liga.
The 34-year-old has spent his entire career in Spain, but is now set to follow a path previously trodden by fellow La Liga stars - with mixed success.
Midfielder Gabri Veiga made the surprise decision to leave Celta Vigo to join Al Ahli in the summer of 2023, but is now back in European football with Porto.
Karim Benzema, meanwhile, left Real Madrid to join Al Ittihad, while his former team-mate and Real Madrid captain Nacho Fernandez currently plays for Al Qadsiah.
Martinez's departure, though, hasn't gone down particularly well in Spain, with journalist Luco Cortes slamming Barcelona's decision to allow him to leave as 'ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous'.
Speaking on Marca's 'Good Night and Good Goals' show, Cortes added: "They had to sacrifice Inigo Martinez to be able to sign two other players ... he [president Joan Laporta] has to come forward and explain everything that's happening, with the coffers open.
"If he [Flick] is really upset about his starting centre-back leaving, he should say so."
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr, La Liga, Football, FC Barcelona, Transfer News
Ryan Smart