Andrei Rațiu, the right-back of the Romanian national team, and still a player registered with Rayo Vallecano, is in high demand in Spain, in La Liga.
This winter, there has been a lot of speculation that Rațiu could leave Rayo immediately to even join FC Barcelona, a team that wants him now, but from the summer onwards, to serve as a back-up solution to Jules Kounde, the former Sevilla player.
Rațiu has stood out at Rayo Vallecano, and the Romanian defender continues to impress in La Liga. However, the Spanish press, through the Catalans at e-noticies.cat, reported that Rayo Vallecano has reached an agreement with Barcelona. Even though Rațiu has a €25 million release clause at Rayo, President Laporta negotiated fiercely with Rayo's executives, who reportedly agreed to transfer Rațiu for €9 million:
"Rațiu's transfer represents an economic opportunity for Barca, considering he has a €25 million release clause. However, Laporta managed to negotiate his transfer for just €9 million, and it is possible that a young player may also be included in the deal. With Rațiu's transfer being imminent, the future of Hector Fort at Barca seems clear. Hansi Flick has informed the young defender to look for a new team, as he is not part of his plans," the Catalans wrote.
Rațiu was once again on the field on Saturday evening in Spain when Rayo was defeated at home by Villarreal, with a score of 0-1. Shortly after the match, the Spanish press reported that Villarreal has made a decision and would like to transfer Rațiu, the player for whom they still hold 50% of the federative rights.
"The Yellow Submarine" has the possibility to pay only half of the amount requested by Rayo for the Romanian player. Currently, Rațiu is valued at €7 million by specialized websites.
D.A.