Barcelona will have to compete with two big La Liga clubs to sign highly-rated Romanian full-back | OneFootball

Although strengthening the forward line is the main priority of FC Barcelona in the upcoming summer transfer window, the Catalans would ideally also want to reinforce some other weak areas in their team.

One such area that Hansi Flick himself has requested the club to address is that of the flanks, where Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde are fixed starters, but their replacements, Hector Fort and Gerard Martin, have left a lot to be desired at times.

For this purpose, one of the players that the Blaugranes have been linked with in recent weeks is the Rayo Vallecano defender Andrei Ratiu. The 26-year-old fullback has emerged as one of the most exciting players in his position in this La Liga season, as he has scored 2 goals and provided 2 assists for the Madrid side in 25 games.

However, getting him will not really be easy for Barcelona, as Fichajes reports that in addition to the Blaugranes, two other La Liga clubs, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal also have him in their sights.

For the Catalans, Ratiu would be a good option to rotate with Jules Kounde on the right flank, while Atletico Madrid are also looking to bring some competition for Nahuel Molina, and the Romanian fullback is an attractive option for this purpose.

Meanwhile, Villarreal also want him in their team to further enhance their defensive options, and the Yellow Submarines might have an advantage over these other two sides if they decide to sign him.

Villarreal still have a 50% right on the player, and thus, they will have to pay only half the amount of money for the defender’s signing than these other two sides.

Rayo Vallecano themselves have no intentions of letting the full-back, who has a contract till 2028, leave, and any side interested in Ratiu will have to pay his €25 million release clause.

For now, both Barcelona and Atletico are considering whether making such a notable investment on him will be worth the while, while Villarreal stand to benefit from a potential operation even if they do not decide to bring him back to their team.