Alex Baena has emerged as one of the biggest names in the European transfer market. With a buyout clause of €60 million, clubs such as Barça have shown interest in the talented midfielder. Baena has shown remarkable growth at Villarreal, sparking rumors of a possible exit this summer.
However, Baena's departure won't be easy. Villarreal manager Marcelino is already working to cover this potential loss, and his sights have turned to Barça. Marcelino's objective is to sign a highly promising player who doesn't have the minutes needed at Hansi Flick's Barça.
A Strategic Plan between Marcelino and Flick
Barça's interest in Álex Baena matches Villarreal's intentions to sign Fermín López. The young blaugrana player has had difficulties finding continuity in the first team. The reason for this is the intense competition with already-established stars such as Pedri, Gavi or Dani Olmo. For Marcelino, Fermín could be the ideal replacement for Baena, who has a good chance of leaving Villarreal in the coming months.
Marcelino has spoken to Hansi Flick, trying to take advantage of Fermin López's lack of minutes. Barça has no immediate plans to leave its promising youth player. However, Villarreal is confident that the interest in Baena could open a way to facilitate negotiations.
What will Barça Do?
Barça, for their part, are in no hurry to make decisions. Joan Laporta and Hansi Flick see Fermín as a key piece for the future of the team. They acknowledge, though, that a squad full of talent in midfield makes his development difficult. The Catalonian club also knows that Álex Baena would be a great addition, but they don't want to lose Fermín without guarantees of growth.
With the transfer market in turmoil, it will be interesting to see how this exchange of key players turns out. Baena is in the orbit of several European giants, and his future seems to be increasingly far from Villarreal.
In short, the possible transfer of Alex Baena by Barça has a "catch". Marcelino is trying to secure the arrival of Fermin López in exchange, betting on his talent at Villarreal. Meanwhile, Hansi Flick finds himself with the difficult task of managing a squad full of talents. He'll have to decide whether to let Fermin go so that he can grow away from Camp Nou.