Ivan Fresneda has been a bone of contention in the Barcelona circles lately.
The youngster has emerged as one of the options in the club’s bid to sign a new right-back this summer, but there is no consensus on whether or not he is the right choice for the role.
It has been suggested that sporting director Deco is in favour of a move for the 18-year-old but Xavi and Mateu Alemany are looking for a more experienced and proven option instead.
In addition to the lack of trust, Fresneda’s €20 million release clause has also proven to be a problem for FC Barcelona.
‘Operation Fresneda’ back on?
However, according to Gerard Romero, Barcelona are ready to reactivate ‘Operation Fresneda’, suggesting that the club may end up going after the Real Valladolid ace ahead of the new season.
Formerly of the Real Madrid youth setup, Fresneda is coming on the back of a strong season in La Liga and was one of the rising stars for Real Valladolid last season, racking up 22 appearances in the top flight.
Fresneda’s performances did not go unnoticed, with a series of top European clubs interested in his services this summer.
Barcelona are no exception, and after an initial set of deliberations, it appears the Catalans are finally ready to go after the young Spaniard.
Bringing in Fresneda, after all, could solve a major problem area for Barça, as the club have no recognised right-back at the moment.
Sergino Dest returned from his loan spell at AC Milan, but he is not a trusted option for coach Xavi, while Jules Kounde does not wish to play the role of a makeshift right-back anymore.
The addition of Fresneda, therefore, could go a long way in giving Xavi a suitable option in the right-back.
However, it must be noted that the youngster does not have much experience at the highest level of football and is expected to cost somewhere in the region of €20 million.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see whether or not Barcelona do end up taking the gamble on the Valladolid starlet this summer.
