Barcelona will be forced to make a decision on whether to follow through on their interest in Real Valladolid’s Ivan Fresneda.
The 18-year-old right-back has been linked to an array of clubs over the last nine months, with Barcelona one of them. The Blaugrana Sporting Director Deco is reportedly keen to sign the talented young right-back, but Xavi Hernandez would prefer a more experienced option to fill the role – in this case Joao Cancelo.
🚨 Chelsea are interested in Fresneda and plan to make an offer for him, which forces Barcelona to make an imminent decision. The right-back prioritises Barça and Deco wants him, but the player is not oblivious to the latest rumours of other right-backs. @sport 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/gWe2UGON3a
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 8, 2023
Barcelona were waiting to see if they could do a deal for Cancelo, before either going for Fresneda again, or leafing another team. However Sport say that Chelsea’s interest in Fresneda will now force them into a decision. If they are to end up with Fresneda, they must pull the trigger before Chelsea get too far down the line, given they would also potentially willing to pay his €22m release clause.
Equally, given the number of sides linked to Fresneda, Barcelona might take these links with a pinch of salt. The number exceeds 30 clubs, and while Chelsea no doubt have the power to pull the trigger at a moment’s notice, pushing Barcelona into a hurried decision would suit Fresneda, his agent and Real Valladolid.
