Arnau Martinez has reportedly sealed a verbal agreement to join Atletico Madrid this summer amid interest from Barcelona.
According to a report by Spanish outlet SPORT, Arnau Martinez might join Atletico Madrid in the summer transfer window. The 19-year-old has a verbal agreement with Los Rojiblancos, whose talks with Girona have not progressed well. The teenage sensation is also a target for Barcelona.
Arnau Martinez spent his formative years with different clubs, including Barcelona. But the Spanish full-back did not graduate from La Masia, instead passing out from Girona’s youth division. And he has come leaps and bounds since making his first-team debut as a 17-year-old in December 2020.
Now a regular, the 19-year-old is one of the best young full-backs in La Liga. And Martinez has enjoyed a solid 2022/23 season, chipping in with three goals and two assists in 26 appearances. The youngster’s progress has not gone unnoticed either, with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid interested.
Joan Laporta recently revealed that Barcelona would enter the market for a right-back in the summer transfer window. And that is hardly surprising, considering the Catalan giants have constantly failed to identify Dani Alves’s heir. Several right-backs, including Malo Gusto, have thus emerged on Barcelona’s radar.
But Arnau Martinez is also an option worth considering for Barcelona. And the 19-year-old can potentially provide the best years of his career to the Blaugrana. But Barcelona will face stiff competition from Atletico Madrid in the race to sign the young right-back. And the teenage sensation reportedly has a verbal agreement with Los Rojiblancos.
The Colchoneros have failed to fill the void left by Kieran Trippier’s departure last year. And they have identified Arnau Martinez as a long-term solution for the right-back berth. But despite sealing a verbal agreement with the 19-year-old, a move is not set in stone. And Atletico Madrid’s talks with Girona have not progressed well.
That gives Barcelona a window of opportunity to usurp Atletico Madrid in the race to sign the youngster. It will be interesting to see if the Blaugrana can leap to action to steal a march on Los Rojiblancos. For now, the Colchoneros are the front-runners to sign the 19-year-old this year.
