Barcelona Transfer Rumors: Barca Shouldn't Pay €40 Million for Javi Martinez

Barcelona can’t act desperate.

The latest transfer rumors link them to 23-year-old Spanish midfielder Javi Martinez. While he’d provide a much-needed boost to Barca’s defensive unit, he isn’t worth the demanded money.

Tom Webber of Goal.com reported Martinez’s link to Barcelona. According to Webber, he has a whopping €40 million buy-out clause that they’d be expected to pay. Tito Vilanova would be foolish to spend that much on the defensive midfielder.

Bayern Munich is also interested in Martinez, but according to Goal.com’s Luis Mira, manager Jupp Heynckes believes the current price tag is laughable. He said:

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Javi Martinez is a great guy, he has a strong character and he is a great player. He has not finished his development yet. He has a market value of €22-23 million. Athletic's asking price? I think it is indecent.

"

Last season, Barcelona was edged out by Real Madrid for the La Liga title. They obviously need to make a major splash to be able to kick the Whites off of their throne, but compromising the future by overpaying for a potential fix isn’t the way to go. They still have the best footballer in the world in Lionel Messi and because of that, Barca doesn’t have to be desperate about anything.

Earlier this summer, they signed 23-year-old Spanish defender Jordi Alba for just €14 million. Those are the types of moves Vilanova must continue to make if Barcelona wants to leapfrog Real Madrid in the La Liga table without any long-term regret.

For that price, Alba is a huge bargain. Why pay over twice that much for Martinez? It makes no sense.

Sure, if Athletic’s asking price plummets within the next month, then Barca would be wise to pull the trigger on a deal. But until then, they should avoid Martinez like the plague. 

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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