Barcelona sign Spain defender Martinez on free transfer
Following his exit from Athletic Club, Barcelona confirmed the acquisition of defender Inigo Martinez on a free transfer on Wednesday.
Martinez, 32, joins Barcelona on a two-year contract and will compete at center-back with Ronald Arajo, Andreas Christensen, Jules Koundé, and Eric Garca.
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Barcelona attempted to recruit Martinez last summer but were unable to reach an agreement with Athletic, who kept the Spain international despite the danger of losing him as a free agent this year.
However, they continued their interest in bringing him in, with talks speeding up at the start of the year after Gerard Pique announced his retirement from football.
Martinez, who departed Athletic when his contract ended last month, was said to have signed a verbal deal with Barca in March.
Barcelona’s defence was one of their strengths this season as they won their first La Liga title since 2019, with Xavi Hernandez’s team maintaining 26 clean sheets in 38 league games.
Xavi, on the other hand, was eager to add a left-footed center-back to his choices, with Martinez offering experience to a somewhat youthful backline.
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Martinez began his career at Real Sociedad, where he made over 200 appearances before joining Athletic in a €32 million ($34.8 million) transfer in 2018.
He made 177 appearances for Athletic and helped the team overcome Barcelona to win the Spanish Super Cup in 2021, but he will now go on to the Spanish champions.
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