FFP preventing Barcelona from finalising agreement with defender – Football España

Barcelona have done well in recent weeks to tie down several important players to new contracts, and more agreements are coming. Earlier this week, Pau Cubarsi joined the likes of Ronald Araujo, Pedri and Gavi in committing his future to the Catalan giants, and soon, there will be moves made to finalise terms with the likes of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.

One player who is part of the club’s “renewal plan” is Inigo Martinez. The veteran defender has had an excellent season up until now, and with his current contract set to expire at the end of June, work is already being done to ensure that he extends his stay by an additional 12 months.

Martinez is close to activating an automatic one-year extension clause in his contract, but before that comes into effect, Barcelona have been working on agreeing a renewal, so as to avoid any jeopardy. The process is practically finished, by finalisation is being held up by Financial Fair Play, as per Marca.

The renewals of Araujo, Pedri, Gavi and Cubarsi has left very little space in Barcelona’s salary bill, and as a result, there is not enough for Martinez’s renewal. It means that jeopardy has started to creep in, which is the last thing that club officials need.

Due to the situation, Barcelona are currently working on various formulas to ensure that Martinez’s new deal will be registered with La Liga, thus ensuring that he is able to play without problems. League officials have been informed of the situation, and regular contact is ongoing.

It makes complete sense for Barcelona to retain Martinez’s services for at least one more season. He has been an excellent performer alongside Cubarsi in the centre of defence, and despite coming towards the final years of his career, he still looks as sharp as ever.