Barcelona have been actively hunting for a new right-back and we reported a while ago that if Joao Cancelo’s move falls, the team from Catalonia will rejuvenate their interest in Villarreal full-back Juan Foyth.
Building up on the story, SPORT has mentioned that the fellow La Liga team is not going to negotiate with Barcelona for the right-back.
Just like their previous times, they will ask Blaugrana to activate his termination clause, which is €54.6 million, or forget about the player altogether.
Villarreal in the driving seat
Barcelona’s interest in Foyth is certainly not new. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner with Argentina has been approached by the team in the past, but the negotiations ended as Villarreal did not want to do any business.
As of today, Villarreal’s position has not changed even one bit. They have been quite active in player departures this summer, as a result of which they have already raised €110 million, meaning that there is absolutely no need for them to sell Foyth in the first place.
As such, they have made it clear that they will not negotiate with Barça and the only way Foyth will be sold is if his €54.6 million release clause is triggered.
As for the player, he is aware of Barcelona’s interest and although it excites him, he will respect his excellent relationship with Villarreal and will not ask the team to listen to offers.
The Barcelona management is exploring several options to reinforce the right-back spot and but their financial situation makes things difficult when time is running out rather fast.
Barça are going to need a substantial amount if they are to sign Bernardo Silva and if the payment is made upfront, there will be no contingency for a right-back.
Now, SPORT mentions that Foyth’s case is very similar to Cancelo’s. Both full-backs are liked by Xavi and an operation to sign any of them is going to cost Barcelona a lot.
Interestingly enough, though, it is said that Manchester City are prioritizing a sale for around €45 million, which is almost €10 million less than Foyth’s release clause.
In any way, even the €45 million cost is unaffordable for Barcelona at the moment, which is why they are looking to sign Cancelo on loan with a buy option.
