Barcelona are ‘a step away’ from signing Real Sociedad defender Inigo Martinez as they trigger his €32m release clause, say reports in Spain.
Diario Sport state a deal is imminent and could be announced as early as Friday, with the knock-on effect of Marlon Santos – signed permanently this summer – leaving the club on a loan deal.
Initial reports on a deal began in Basque newspaper Noticias De Gipuzkoa on Thursday with the Catalans seemingly keen to act swiftly to strengthen their squad.
The 26-year-old defender has amassed 193 La Liga appearances for the Basques since his debut in 2011 and his current deal at the club runs until June 2021.
Part of Spain’s Under-21 European Championship winning side in 2013, Martinez has gone on to be capped four times at senior level for La Roja.
The Blaugrana are set to reinvest the €222m they will receive from Neymar’s impending world record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and reinforcing the defence is on the agenda.
