Barcelona have reportedly turned down the opportunity to sign Valencia duo Jose Gaya and Carlos Soler for a combined fee of €60 million.
According to Spanish publication Golsmedia, Barcelona have rejected the chance to secure the services of Valencia and Spain duo Jose Gaya and Carlos Soler for a combined total transfer fee of €60 million.
Both Soler and Gaya are academy products of the Valencia youth setup and have grown into mainstays in the starting XI in recent years, with the duo even sharing captaincy duties for Los Che.
Soler is widely regarded as one of the most consistent midfielders in Spain, with his goalscoring ability making him an attractive commodity for clubs across Europe. Meanwhile, Gaya has been one of the best left-backs in La Liga and Europe for several years now and has been on the radars of top teams, including Barcelona.
Barcelona have been heavily linked with moves for both Gaya and Soler heading into the summer. The Catalan giants are in the market for a long-term heir for Jordi Alba, with the Valencia defender emerging as a top target. With his contract expiring next year, the Blaugrana had high hopes of signing him, although it had recently emerged that the Spaniard was close to penning a new deal at Valencia.
As for Soler, he has emerged as a top target for Barcelona as a potential replacement for Frenkie de Jong, who could be sold by the Catalan giants in the summer due to their financial woes. Reports in Spain had even claimed that Barcelona and Valencia had reached an agreement for the transfer of the 25-year-old, whose contract also expires in 2023.
While Valencia were quick to refute those claims, recent events at the club have seemingly forced them to consider offloading the pair this summer itself. Recordings of club president Anil Murthy threatening Soler to ‘bury him’ with negative press if he left the club for free were leaked to the media earlier this week.
Given their contract situations, Valencia are now reportedly ready to sell the pair in the summer rather than losing them for nothing in 2023. Spanish journalist Gerard Romero even reported that Anil Murthy and Joey Lim had travelled to Catalonia to meet Barcelona president Joan Laporta, with the Valencia officials offering the Catalans the two players in exchange for €60 million.
Building on that information, Golsmedia claims Barcelona have turned down the opportunity to sign their two targets for a combined fee of €60 million. Considering their financial situation, it could be a tactic from the Blaugrana to make Valencia wait and get them to lower their asking price for Gaya and Soler.
It will be interesting to see how Valencia decide to proceed as they are now stuck in a difficult situation. With Barcelona keen on signing the duo, a transfer for a lower fee could very well materialise at some point in the coming weeks.