Barcelona have reportedly ruled out the possibility of signing Valencia midfielder Carlos Soler, who is a transfer target for La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid.
According to GOAL, Barcelona have decided to call off their pursuit of Valencia and Spain midfielder Carlos Soler, who could now end up signing for fellow La Liga club Atletico Madrid in the summer transfer window.
Soler came through the youth ranks at Valencia and has been a mainstay in the middle of the park for several years now. The 25-year-old, who has risen to the status of club captain at the Mestalla, has featured 222 times for Los Che, scoring 35 and assisting 31 goals across competitions. A full international for Spain, the midfielder has seven international caps.
Soler is entering the final year of his contract with Valencia and has his heart set on a summer exit. The La Liga club are in a dire situation financially and need to generate revenue of around €60 million from player sales before the end of the month. Hence, they are open to selling the midfielder, along with several other players like Goncalo Guedes, Jose Gaya and Jasper Cillessen.
Soler has been on the radars of Barcelona as a potential replacement for Frenkie de Jong, who is linked with a summer exit from Camp Nou. Former Valencia president Anil Murthy had even travelled to Catalonia to offer Soler to the Blaugrana, along with Gaya, in a deal worth around €60 million, only for them to reject the proposal.
Despite that, links to Soler continued to persist, although Atletico Madrid had also entered the fray to sign the 25-year-old. However, as per the latest update from GOAL, Barcelona have completely ruled out the possibility of signing the Valencia midfielder in the upcoming transfer window.
Like Valencia, Barcelona too are going through some financial troubles and cannot afford to splash the cash on Soler when there are other priority positions that need to be strengthened in the summer. Indeed, the Catalans are desperate to sign Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich to bolster their options in the No. 9 slot.
In addition, Barcelona are also on the lookout for a new winger to replace Ousmane Dembele, while two new full-backs and a centre-back could also arrive. With Franck Kessie on the verge of a move to Camp Nou, the midfield department is not a priority at Camp Nou as things stand, and they have decided to end their pursuit of Soler.
It leaves the path clear for Atletico Madrid to move in for the Valencia midfielder. While Los Che were demanding a sum of €30 million for Soler, Los Rojiblancos are willing to offer only €15 million plus variables. With time running out, Valencia might be forced to accept the terms.
As for Barcelona, a move for Soler is now off the table, although they might look to sign a new midfielder later on in the summer if they sell Frenkie de Jong.