The name of Andrei Ratiu has been strongly on the radar of FC Barcelona in the last few hours. 'MARCA' revealed on Wednesday the alleged interest of the culé in the Rayo Vallecano defender and, since then, the rumours about Deco's contacts with the Madrid team give a fairly clear picture of Barça's real options to go for the Romanian in January.
Ratiu has a contract with Rayo until June 2028 and a termination clause of 25 million euros. However, the Barça sporting director is confident of being able to lower the market aspirations of those from Vallecas to ensure a 'low cost' transfer that will allow Hansi Flick to have a much more reliable substitute for Jules Koundé. Although Ronald Araújo will play again shortly, the German coach prioritizes signing a born right-back for the second half of 2024/25.
However, the arrival of the 26-year-old defender looks, at the very least, complex for Barça. Villarreal has secured 50% of his sporting rights, so Rayo is prioritising holding on to the value of the clause as the only way to get rid of the '2'. Andreí has been a starter in 12 of the 14 league games played so far, scoring 1 goal (against Osasuna) and 1 assist (against Atlético). In addition, Napoli are also very interested in the Romanian, at the request of Antonio Conte.
Barça would get rid of two players to go for Andrei Ratiu
In this sense, the latest information points to two operations that, in principle, would leave the way open for Barça to negotiate for Andrei Ratiu. The first 'sacrificed' would be Héctor Fort, at the moment the only alternative to Jules Koundé on the right flank. The Catalan has barely accumulated 333 minutes of action spread over 9 games (2 as a starter) and could go on loan to Alavés in January, since Hansi Flick does not trust him 100%.
Another who would have his days numbered in Barcelona is Noah Darvich. The German midfielder has not finished settling in at Barça Atlètic and could serve as part payment for the Romanian defender. Darvich has a contract until 2026 and, beyond being included in the squad against Celta, he aims to leave in the winter market to get more experience in a First Division team.