Fresneda and Barcelona are close to a deal.
Barcelona are closing in on a deal for 18-year-old Spanish right-back Iván Fresneda from Real Valladolid, according to a report from ESPN. The Blaugrana are “putting the finishing touches” on a five-year deal with the player and are also close to an agreement on the transfer fee with Valladolid, the report says.
Fresneda managed to have a breakout campaign despite being relegated with Valladolid on the final day of the La Liga season, and he looked set to join Borussia Dortmund a few weeks ago before new Barça sporting director Deco made a serious push for the youngster. Negotiations moved quickly, and the report claims Valladolid could agree to sell for around half of the player’s €20 million release clause.
The only obstacle now is Barça’s race against time to create salary cap space for this summer’s signings, which also include Ilkay Gündogan and Iñigo Martínez who have arrived on free transfers as well as Girona’s Oriol Romeu, the favorite to replace Sergio Busquets according to the latest gossip.
The Catalans have already saved some money by releasing Samuel Umtiti and are close to selling Clément Lenglet to Tottenham Hotspur, and with Sergiño Dest also heavily linked with a permanent move away from the club in the next few weeks there should be enough room on the budget to fit all the new names and still comply with Spain’s financial fair play rules.
