Barcelona have officially confirmed the arrival of Mike van Beijnen, who joins the Barcelona B squad on a free transfer from NAC Breda.
According to the official announcement from Barcelona on their website and other social media platforms, Mike van Beijnen has become the latest addition to the Barcelona B squad. The full-back arrives on a free transfer after his contract with Eredivisie side NAC Breda expired.
Formerly a part of PSV Eindhoven, Mike van Beijnen has penned a two-year deal with Barcelona, who have inserted a €100 million release clause in the contract. The announcement also entailed that the defender has passed his medical and is set to be a part of the Barcelona B squad for the upcoming season.
??? We are delighted to announce that 20 year old Dutch defender Mike van Beijnen has signed a 2-year contract to join @FCBarcelonaB as a free agent.
? Full details here: ? https://t.co/wFQXfdrmdX pic.twitter.com/ICaEeuQFGT
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) June 20, 2019
Interestingly, van Beijnen is the son of Ali Dursun, who is the agent of Frenkie De Jong, who has joined Barcelona from Ajax. The two stars played together during their time in different age levels at Willem II.
Mike van Beijnen joins Ludovit Reis as the second Eredivisie star to make the jump. Barcelona B might just be in need of depth in the right-back area. Moussa Wague is set to be promoted to the first-team setup at the Nou Camp while Dani Morer is leaving the club on a free transfer.
Sergi Palencia is due to arrive after the end of his loan spell at Ligue 1 club Bordeaux and is likely to be the first-choice for Barcelona B. Guillem Jaime is being promoted from the Under-19 team to the B squad. But, Palencia could be looking for first-team football after being privy to it at Bordeaux, which could see him leave the club in the current transfer window.
Even if Palencia stays put, Jaime is expected to be given a few chances while van Beijnen is likely to have been brought in to compete with the 23-year-old for a starting berth on the right side of the back four for Barcelona B. The 20-year-old failed to make the senior mark at NAC Breda but will hope to impress when provided chances by Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta.
It will be interesting to see if van Beijnen manages to make a career out of his move to Barcelona or just ends up making up the numbers for the B squad before moving on in search of first-team football elsewhere.