President confirms Barcelona nearly re-signed defender for just €5m | OneFootball

It came as a surprise that Barcelona did not add a new centre-back to their ranks in the summer, given their defensive struggles in the Champions League last season, as well as the departure of Ronald Araujo to Liverpool. Club officials have thought about bringing in a new face for some time, although they never followed through.

Barcelona have been clear that a left-sided profile has been their desired target, which is why they considered summer moves for Aymeric Laporte and Ruud Nijstad. Before that, they were going for Mika Marmol, as has now been revealed by Las Palmas president Miguel Angel Ramirez.

Speaking on the Helado Oscuro podcast (via Diario AS) over the weekend, Ramirez confirmed that Barcelona came in for Marmol back in January. They were willing to pay their €5m clause to re-sign the 25-year-old, but they ultimately backed out of a deal.

“In January, Barça wanted Mika Mármol. They were willing to pay those €5m, but then they made another decision. That’s why Mika himself was baffled in January. I knew that Barça wanted to negotiate his transfer, which would have been very good for us.”

Marmol deal would have suited all parties

Marmol is the exact profile that Barcelona have been trying to sign, and given that he came through the ranks at La Masia, he is someone that club officials know very well. €5m would have been a good price for a decent squad option, so it is a surprise that they ultimately decided against bringing him back to the Spotify Camp Nou.

Unfortunately, the option of re-signing Marmol for a bargain price has slipped away for good, with the defender having signed for Feyenoord in the summer. He featured in the recent Champions League meeting between the sides, before which .