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Everton could now face competition from Real Sociedad for Barcelona defender Héctor Fort, with a decision set for this week.
Sport report that Fort has known for some time that he needs to leave Barcelona. The Catalan giants are now prioritising a permanent transfer for him.
Real Sociedad competition
According to the newspaper, Héctor Fort is drawing interest from several European teams while awaiting a final decision on his future.
Everton, Fulham and Borussia Dortmund have previously inquired about the player’s situation. Now Real Sociedad can be added to the mix. They are seeking information on the 20-year-old.
According to journalist Mateo Moretto, the Basque club are interested in a deal. They have received very positive reports on the player dating back to his loan spell at Elche.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are pushing for an exit. Héctor Fort is no longer participating in their pre-season, and a decision will be made about his future soon. That could possibly happen this week.
Elche have also approached the player but that has been completely ruled out as it would only involve a loan deal.
Barcelona value the player at around €10m. They will leave the full-back to decide who he joins, so long as they receive this figure. He will choose his next destination based on sporting interests.
The Catalans are working hard to generate revenue and create more salary cap space to register players during the final weeks of the transfer window. Hence, they are happy to do a deal with anyone, and rapidly, should they get the €10m they are looking for.
Future clauses?
Sport makes no mention of future clauses at this point. Previous reports in Spain have indicated that Barcelona would like to retain as much as 50% of Fort’s rights.
Or, alternatively, include a buy-back option, or a preferential option, for the future. This is something they’ve done with other youth products down the years, helping to generate income.
Indeed, they have done a similar deal with Everton when they sold Gerard Deulofeu to the Toffees over a decade ago. He ultimately impressed at Goodison Park and was brought back thanks to that clause.
Whether they look to do so with Héctor Fort, remains to be seen. For now, it seems they’re waiting for Everton and the other suitors to make their moves.
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