Barcelona have received a boost in their pursuit of Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez, with his release clause set to be halved should the club be relegated.
According to a report from Spanish outlet Sport, Barcelona’s bid to sign Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez in the summer transfer window has been handed a boost, as the forward’s release clause would be halved should his club end up getting relegated from the La Liga at the end of the season.
Barcelona are in the market for a new striker ahead of the 2019-20 campaign, with the lack of a proper backup for current first-choice centre-forward Luis Suarez being a reason for concern for the Catalans.
The reigning La Liga champions did recruit Kevin-Prince Boateng on loan from Serie A side Sassuolo in January and have the option of making the deal permanent. However, the Ghanaian hasn’t been able to make much of a mark since moving to Camp Nou, casting doubts on whether the Blaugrana would want to exercise the option of signing him on permanently.
Even if the Catalans did make Boateng’s transfer permanent, the versatile attacker is 32 years old and would hardly represent a long-term solution. To that end, Barca are in the market for a new striker in the summer, with Celta Vigo’s Gomez a viable option for the club.
The 22-year-old came through the youth ranks at Uruguayan club Defensor, before making the switch to Celta in the summer of 2017. Gomez finished his first season in Spain with 18 goals and 5 assists from 38 appearances and has come up with decent returns of 9 goals and 5 assists from 24 La Liga outings in the ongoing campaign as well.
As per the report from Sport, Gomez has a €50 million release clause in his current contract with Celta Vigo, that would be halved to €25 million, should the Galician club end up getting relegated from the Spanish top-flight.
After matchweek 27, Celta Vigo find themselves in the 18th position in the La Liga standings, having accumulated just 25 points (W6 D7 L14). The Celticos have won just one of their last 12 matches in the league and given their current plight, the possibility of relegation is very much on the cards, handing Barcelona a big boost in their pursuit of Gomez.
The fact that Gomez is being monitored by several clubs across Europe, including Premier League giants Liverpool, isn’t lost on Barcelona. And the report claims that in order to stave off competition, they are hoping to reach a pre-contract agreement with the player.
Barcelona are serious about their interest in Gomez and will try and sign him irrespective of whether Celta end up getting relegated or not, as per the report. What remains to be seen is how much money they end up shelling out on him, which would largely depend on where Celta finish in the La Liga table.
