Barcelona's Inigo Martinez joins Al Nassr in free transfer

Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez is expected to join Al Nassr on a free transfer. Martinez, aged 34, has one year left on his contract with Barcelona, having extended it in January. The move will remove his 14 million annual salary from Barcelona's books, helping them comply with La Liga's wage limit and potentially sign new players.

Barcelona, exceeding their wage cap, plan to allocate only 60% (8.4 million) of it to new signings' salaries. Martinez arrived at Barcelona in July 2023 from Athletic Club, where he spent over five years after progressing through Real Sociedad's youth system. He has played 71 games for Barcelona, scoring three goals and providing six assists.

During the last season, Martinez featured in 46 matches across all competitions for Barcelona, establishing himself as a regular starter under coach Hansi Flick. He scored his first goal for the club in October 2024. In La Liga, he played 28 games as Barcelona clinched the title, finishing four points ahead of Real Madrid.

Al Nassr has already secured the signing of center-back Nader Al-Sharari from Al Shabab this summer. They have also acquired Joao Felix from Chelsea after finishing third in the league last season, trailing champions Al Ittihad by thirteen points. The news of Martinez's potential move comes after Barcelona removed Marc-Andre ter Stegen as captain earlier on Thursday.

Pol joined The Athletic in 2021, relocating to Manchester initially to support their Manchester City, Manchester United, and Spanish coverage. Previously, he served as an English football correspondent for various Spanish media outlets and The Times. In 2019, he co-authored the book "Pep’s City: The Making of a Superteam." Currently, he is covering FC Barcelona for The Athletic and can be followed on Twitter @polballus.