On Wednesday, Barcelona made an official announcement regarding the signing of defender Iñigo Martínez on a free transfer.
The 32-year-old player had recently departed from Athletic Club. Martínez joins Barcelona on a two-year contract and will add depth and competition to the center-back position, alongside Ronald Araújo, Andreas Christensen, Jules Koundé, and Eric García.
Barcelona had previously attempted to sign Martínez last year but failed to reach an agreement with Athletic Club, resulting in the player staying with the club despite the risk of losing him as a free agent this year.
However, Barcelona continued to express their interest in acquiring Martínez, and negotiations gained momentum at the beginning of the year following Gerard Piqué’s retirement from football.
According to ESPN, in March, Barcelona and Martínez reportedly reached a verbal agreement.
The defender’s contract with Athletic Club expired last month, paving the way for his move to Barcelona.
Barcelona’s defense was a notable strength as they secured their first LaLiga title since 2019 this season, keeping 26 clean sheets in 38 league games under the leadership of manager Xavi Hernández.
However, Xavi was keen to add a left-footed centre-back to his options, with Martinez also adding experience to what is a relatively young backline.
Martinez began his career with Real Sociedad, making over 200 appearances for the club before joining their Basque rivals Athletic in a deal worth €32 million ($34.8m) in 2018.
He made 177 appearances for Athletic and helped the club beat Barca to win the Spanish Super Cup in 2021, but will now embark on the next chapter of his career at the Spanish champions.