DBasia.news – The hunt for Barcelona’s central defender in January, to overcome the crisis on the back line, has ended when borrowing Jeison Murillo from Valencia. Before Murillo arrived, several names were linked to Barcelona.
Barca really needed an experienced center back who was willing to be a coating for Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet, considering Thomas Vermaelen was quite often absent due to injury.
One of the players who had entered the target of the Blaugrana was a former Liverpool defender who is currently defending Fenerbahce, Martin Skrtel, who declined an offer to move to Camp Nou.
“Barcelona had wanted to bring Martin Skrtel, and have a high intention to recruit him because he has a high experience and can be a reliable alternative. But Skrtel refused the offer because he did not want to be a coating of Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti,” said Mithat Halis, an agent from Skrtel, in an interview quoted from the US.
Halis considers that Skrtel has a higher quality compared to Lenglet, and his leadership makes Barca interested in bringing the Slovakian player. But Skrtel is still happy with his life in Turkey and currently doesn’t want to leave Fenerbahce, the club he has been supporting since 2016.