FC Barcelona continue to make moves in the summer transfer window. The club officially announced the signing of Marcus Rashford on a loan deal with an option to buy, and he is the second addition they are making ahead of the new season, after Joan Garcia.
However, even as the club continues to make signings, they also need to make sales to move on players who no longer have a place in Hansi Flick’s plans.
Now, as per the Athletic’s Barcelona correspondent Pol Ballús via Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona have agreed a deal in principle with Portuguese club SC Braga for the transfer of 23-year-old forward Pau Victor for €12m fixed fee plus €3m add-ons.
Barcelona also want a buy-back clause
Romano mentions that the deal is agreed, but Barcelona are trying to negotiate a buy-back clause into the deal that would give them control over the player’s future. This is something the club has been doing quite a lot in recent times.
The Spaniard joined the club last summer on a permanent deal from Girona after an impressive loan spell with the reserve team, but found opportunities hard to come by under the German coach, with both Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres ahead of him in the pecking order.
Although he might have been disappointed not to get many opportunities in the first team at Barcelona, there is no doubt that he would be better for the experience and would have learnt a lot training along the sides of the Pole and Ferran.
The perfect next step
Now, a move to Braga might be the perfect next step for Pau Victor. The Portuguese league has an excellent track record of developing young players, and if he manages to make a name for himself, big clubs will start looking at him again.
Pau Victor’s story at Barcelona is the perfect example of how difficult it is for an outsider to break into the first team when he is not an established name. It remains to be seen how the 23-year-old’s career progresses in the coming years, and who knows, at some point, a return to the Catalan club could happen.
