Barcelona were fixated on signing Marcelo Brozovic in recent weeks. Due to the player’s experience and leadership abilities, he was identified as the ideal short-term replacement for the outgoing Sergio Busquets.
Barça were even open to a swap deal involving Franck Kessie in order to get the deal over the line. But they were never quite able to come to an agreement with Inter Milan while the player himself received a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia.
Now, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Brozovic will move to Al Nassr. The midfielder has accepted the club’s proposal and is set to unite with Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.
More than Brozovic accepting Al Nassr’s offer, it was the Saudi giants who agreed to the player’s demands. That means the club will have to pay roughly €100 million to the player, across a three-year contract, including a signing fee.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan will receive a fee of around €23 million upfront, which is more than they might have expected from Barcelona. The Catalans are not in a position to splurge this summer, especially as they continue to struggle in getting rid of unwanted stars in the first team.
The deal is in the final stages and Brozovic will complete a medical soon. Barcelona, therefore, must set their sights on other alternatives.
The Blaugrana have been recently targeting former youth player and Girona star Oriol Romeu. The club have recently made contact with the Spaniard, who has a €10 million termination clause embedded in his Girona contract.
Barcelona might not rule out the possibility of including a player in the deal, in order to lower Romeu’s valuation. But the former Southampton star could indeed be an intriguing option for the club as they look to find a temporary solution to replace Busquets.
