Barcelona academy product Oscar Mingueza, who has made sixty-six senior appearances for the club, has been deemed surplus to requirements at the Camp Nou by manager Xavi. And now, the club are set to welcome offers in the region of €5 million for the twenty-three-year-old centre-back.
It’s well-known that Barcelona are frantically attempting to balance the books ahead of the new season, as they look to add further reinforcements. And when looking at the odds on teams winning La Liga, if Barca do the business they’re expected to do, it’s likely they will be right up there. However, offloading the likes of Mingueza will be critical, as the euros brought in via sales can be reinvested into new signings and their salaries.
Mingueza himself is said to be keen to take up a new challenge and move forward with his career away from Barcelona, where he made twenty-seven appearances across all competitions last season. While he’s been in and around the first-team, it’s not putting off suitors, with clubs in La Liga and the Bundesliga said to be ready to throw their hat in the ring to land the young defender.
The Spanish outfits in question include Celta Vigo, Elche CF, Getafe, RCD Mallorca and Valencia, who are all wanting to reinforce their defences this summer. They are all said to have made initial enquiries to establish how the land lies with Barcelona and the player himself, and whether a stay in his domestic Spain is in his plans. They could all offer him regular first-team action, which will be a massive plus. But the Bundesliga’s Eintracht Frankfurt and TSG Hoffenheim are also options.
The German top-flight and clubs such as Frankfurt have a stellar record of attracting Spanish talents and elevating them in their careers. Frankfurt, who won the Europa League last season, have added the likes of Enrique Herrero Garcia, Fabio Blanco and Lucas Torro in recent years. With Blanco’s loan move to Catalunya last season arguably going to catch the eye of Mingueza as they attempt to prise him away from Barcelona.
But it is thought that Mingueza himself feels like a stay in La Liga is the best option for him at this stage in his career, as he attempts to improve as a defender, with the aim to build on the one senior cap he has for Spain. So, the likes of Celta Vigo, Mallorca and Valencia could jump to the front of the queue.
However, there won’t be any cut-price deals happening. Barcelona are determined to bring in at least €5 million for a defender they believe has the talent and potential to go on and enjoy a successful career at the highest level. And it’s this valuation that is currently preventing an agreement from being struck. So, there may have to be some movement on the price tag if a deal is to get over the line.
