Barcelona have ruled out the possibility of signing Juan Foyth this summer owing to Villarreal’s stance of not wanting to negotiate for the right-back, reports SPORT.
Foyth has been on the Blaugrana’s radar for a long time now and reports earlier this week suggested that the club had rekindled their interest in the Argentine amid question marks lingering over a deal for Cancelo.
Foyth, for his part, was understood to be keen on the move to Barça and had informed Villarreal of his desires as well.
Villarreal unwilling to negotiate
Following this, the report states that there was a summit between Barcelona director Mateu Alemany and officials from Villarreal.
And it was made clear that the Yellow Submarine will not negotiate for the 25-year-old World Cup winner and that the only way Barça can sign him is by activating his release clause which stands at €54 million.
The La Liga champions were considering the possibility of lowering Foyth’s valuation by offering a player on loan.
But Villarreal would not budge, having already made more than €100 million through player sales this summer. They do not wish to lose any more key players and as such, informed Barcelona that they must pay the full release clause.
Given the Blaugrana’s financial situation, that would have never been possible and as such, the doors appear to be closed on the possibility of Foyth arriving this summer.
Cancelo back on the agenda
It is said to be one of the reasons behind Barcelona reactivating contacts with Manchester City for Joao Cancelo, with the club looking to sign him on loan with a buy option.
The Portuguese international would be willing to lower his salary to push through a move, but even then, the economic issues could be a hindrance as City would likely demand a significant fee for the buy option for next season.
