Remember that press conference where Pep Guardiola said Manchester City would ‘try’ and bring in one more defender? Well, he’s apparently targeted one in Spain.
The man in question is Real Sociedad’s Iñigo Martinez, who, according to Sport on Friday, is also a target for Barcelona, Inter and Everton.
That the latter two clubs also appear on the list isn’t exactly a surprise due to their alleged interest in Las Palmas’ defender Mauricio Lemos, although Everton’s name seems to be used by the Spanish media out of habit more than anything else these days when it comes to the Uruguayan.
Back to Martinez, and the Catalan newspaper put Pep Guardiola’s and Ronald Koeman’s sides as the main competition for their local club, now flush with cash from the Neymar deal.
Sport explain that no offers have materialised from the other three, and the centre-back’s original plan was to renew his deal at his beloved club, until Barcelona came along.
The moment he heard of Ernesto Valverde’s interest in him, Martinez decided to have a rethink, knowing that he would have an important role with the La Liga runners-up at a club fighting for titles on a regular basis.
So, unless Manchester City and Everton come forward with an offer in the near future, it seems, at least according to slightly biased Sport, Barcelona have a clear run at the 26-year-old.
