Barcelona have looked to cash in on a number of young talents in recent summers, with the likes of Ez Abde, Chadi Riad, Mikayil Faye and Julian Araujo all leaving this summer. Two years ago Nico Gonzalez left the club, but that could be about to bring in much more money than first thought.
Unable to find a place in the side under Xavi Hernandez, Nico left for Porto, bringing in €8.5m at the time. The Blaugrana retained a €30m buyback option and a 40% sell-on clause though.
Marc Bernal's recovery is going better than expected, but Barcelona will still take all the necessary caution with him. He could reappear in September. @tjuanmarti
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 24, 2024
It looks highly unlikely that they will execute that buyback option, but Liverpool might activate his release clause at Porto. That stands at €60m, and the Anfield Watch say that Liverpool have been blown away by his performances this season, with 10 goal contributions in 24 appearances from midfield.
Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad was Liverpool’s primary target in the summer, and they remain interested in him too – he also has a €60m release clause.
It seems that depending on whether Zubimendi accepts a departure, Liverpool are evaluating other alternatives to strengthen the middle of the pitch. Nico, 24, struggled to find positional consistency at Barcelona, and ended up being surpassed by the likes of Gavi and then Fermin Lopez in the pecking order.