Inigo Martinez will be Barca's Gerard Pique replacement

Inigo Martinez will be Barca's Gerard Pique replacement

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The Athletic Bilbao centre-back will join for free next summer

Barcelona are now working with the certainty that Gerard Pique will be gone.

The veteran defender has decided to leave and his salary can be cleared off the books.

Barcelona have replaced him already effectively - they already have a deal with Athletic Bilbao’s Inigo Martinez.

He will come for free in the summer and fill the captain’s spot. He is left footed and a useful player for Xavi to have.

Barcelona have been talking to Martinez for months. They nearly signed him last summer but athletic weren’t keen on agreeing a reasonable price.

Barcelona won’t look to advance that deal unless something bad happens to one of the other centre-backs. They should all be back from injury soon.

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