The Operation Is Closed and only remains for Barça to solve the bureaucratic issues that will allow them to register him with the Federation.
It is a signing that generates unanimity both in the technical secretariat, with Deco at the helm, and on the bench. Hansi Flick has given his blessing from the very beginning.
He Said No to Real Madrid
He has been seen in Barcelona looking for an apartment, near Camp Nou he requested. And he will join Barça, coming from Rayo Vallecano, after having rejected an offer from Florentino Pérez to sign for Real Madrid.
The white club was willing to pay his release clause, which amounts to 25 million euros. But he preferred Barça's project, which he sees as having more future.
Andrei Ratiu made an excellent impression on his recent visit to Montjuïc. He was even more liked for erasing Vinícius from the map in the last Rayo-Barça. The negotiation has been easy given the excellent relations that Martín Presa, president of Rayo, maintains with Joan Laporta.
Pablo Torre Enters the Operation
Based on that cordiality, Barça will not pay the 25 million contemplated in the release clause. The operation will be 15 million, but Barça will offer Pablo Torre as an exchange, from whom they will retain a percentage of his rights in case of a possible future transfer.
Martín Presa asked for other players, such as Pau Víctor or Héctor Fort, but finally the agreement was reached with the Cantabrian player, who is not in Hansi Flick's plans.
Flick Explains Barça's Harsh Reality
Ratiu has spoken with Flick, who has informed him about the harsh reality he will find at Barça. He will arrive to be Koundé's substitute, but a special substitute. Ratiu knows that he will play many minutes because Flick wants to give Koundé more rest than he has provided him this season.
The schedule is very demanding, and sometimes even cruel. To reach the end of the season with enough fuel, it is necessary to manage the players' time. Ratiu knows that he will not be the starting number 2, but that he will play many minutes.
Ratiu is owned by Rayo Vallecano and Villarreal at 50%. He arrived at the Yellow Submarine after being trained at Sociedad Deportiva Huesca, but there he did not find the opportunities that Rayo did give him.
He is not a flashy signing, but he is a solid value that will provide consistency to the blaugrana defense.