Barcelona are lining up a fresh bid for Racing Santander's promising 19-year-old midfielder Sergio Martinez. It marks a second attempt to sign the Spanish talent after talks collapsed last January, with Real Madrid and other European clubs circling. The move is designed to bolster the reserve squad ahead of a future promotion to the first team.
It won't be easy for the Catalan club, according to Spanish newspaper "Sport". Racing Santander renewed their player's contract last November until 2029, having previously been set to expire in 2027, and raised the release clause to 3 million euros. The move shows just how determined the Cantabrian club are to hold on to their rising talent.
Racing are open to selling the midfielder, who hails from Laredo, but they're setting strict conditions. Chief among them is a high percentage of any future sale, which complicates the ongoing negotiations between the two parties. The timing is awkward too, coinciding with separate talks over his teammate Jorge Salinas, for whom Racing insist on the full payment of his 16 million euro release clause.
Barcelona hold the advantage over Real Madrid in the race, reports indicate. Madrid have shown interest in Martinez but have not tabled concrete offers on the same level as the Catalan club. Other information points to a third European club monitoring the situation closely.
A Spain Under-19 international, Martinez ranks among the most prominent rising talents in Spanish football. He played 13 matches with Racing Santander's first team last season, 10 in the second division and 3 in the Copa del Rey, plus 18 matches with the reserve team after his promotion from the youth ranks.
The defensive midfielder stands out for his high competitive spirit and his appetite for physical duels despite his height of 1.85 metres. He also draws praise for his ball control and his excellence in tactical positioning. That rare blend of physical and technical qualities prompted the club to convert him from an attacking midfielder into a defensive holding player, a role in which he has focused on developing his defensive skills.
For Barcelona Atletic, the Martinez deal represents an important quality addition. It comes after the spell of players such as Bryan Farinas and Tommy Marques ended in the reserve team. The former looks set to move up to the first team while the latter will be forced to look for an exit, opening the door for new blood to strengthen the second team.