Barcelona rule out move for 20-year-old Atletico Madrid talent despite tracking him closely | OneFootball

As was reported last week, Barcelona have been keeping tabs on Argentine centre-back Geronimo Spina, who plays for Atletico Madrid’s reserve team.

In fact, it was suggested that the Blaugrana were close to signing the young defender from their La Liga rivals in a surprise move.

Barcelona like Spina, but will not sign this summer

However, now, according to Mundo Deportivo, a move for Spina is not currently planned by Barcelona for this summer unless there is a last-minute change.

Spina joined Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2023 after impressing at Estudiantes de La Plata. His rapid development under Fernando Torres, first in the U19 team and then with the reserves, has been impressive.

The centre-back’s performances have even earned him call-ups from Diego Simeone to the senior team, featuring in two Champions League matchday squads and one La Liga squad.

Barcelona are unlikely to make any more signings. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

As per the report, Barcelona hold very good scouting reports on Spina, having monitored his progress with Atletico Madrid’s reserve team throughout last season.

However, the Catalan club’s financial fair play constraints mean the defender is far from a transfer priority.

While the recent exit of Inigo Martinez has led to speculations about a move for a new centre-back, such a move does not appear to be on the cards.

In fact, if there are no last-minute major departures, Barcelona consider their transfer business closed for the summer.

The focus for the reigning champions of Spain is to ensure the swift registration of their new signings and contract renewals so that Hansi Flick has a full squad at his disposal for the start of the season.