Barcelona racing against time to sign talented defender at a discount

Catalonia's Barcelona have entered a serious battle for Racing Santander's young star Jorge Salinas to strengthen their squad during the summer transfer window. The club management is trying to secure the 19-year-old talented defender before his transfer price doubles. This transfer is expected to be the second major signing in the era of new head coach Hansi Flick. This is reported by Goal.com news reports.

According to the sports publication, Barcelona management is clearly leading the race for Salinas. Although the player has received offers from the English Premier League and other teams in the Spanish league, he prefers to continue his career specifically with the Blaugrana. Famous agent Jorge Mendes has already visited Santander to help accelerate the negotiations.

Transfer price and contract duration

Currently, Jorge Salinas's contract has a release clause of 8 million euros. However, this opportunity is limited by time. It has been revealed that if Barcelona does not finalize the deal by June 30, the player's price will automatically rise to 16 million euros starting July 1. Therefore, sporting director Deco and club officials are taking swift measures to reduce the financial burden.

According to Goal.com, the Catalans are also considering the option of loaning a player from their reserve team to Racing Santander to further lower the transfer price. This strategy would allow the club to acquire a quality defender while complying with Financial Fair Play rules.

Jorge Salinas proved himself in the Spanish second division last season. He appeared in 33 matches and provided 7 assists. Despite his youth, he caught Hansi Flick's attention with his ability to play effectively as both a left-back and a center-back. The coach plans to involve him in the first-team training during the pre-season camps.

This transfer is part of a large-scale reform of Barcelona's defensive line. The club is currently also in negotiations to sign a permanent contract with Joao Cancelo, who was loaned from Al-Hilal. The arrival of Salinas will serve to ensure the team's long-term prospects.

If Barcelona resolves the defender issue quickly, they can focus all their attention on filling the center-forward position that will become vacant after Robert Lewandowski's departure. For now, every hour is precious for the Catalans.