Barcelona have reportedly cooled their interest in defender Inigo Martinez due to Real Sociedad's valuation of the player.
According to Ramiro Aldunate and Oscar Badallo of Marca, the asking price of €32 million (£29 million) for the centre-back is believed to be too high for Barcelona.
"The player was willing to move to the Camp Nou and was thought to have agreed terms, but the clubs have failed to reach an agreement that suits both parties, leading to Barcelona withdrawing from negotiations," the report noted. "…Ernesto Valverde specifically requested Martinez's arrival, but will now have to identify new targets."
Barcelona were a little lightweight in defence last season. While Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti were strong as a partnership, Javier Mascherano was short of his usual best. Jeremy Mathieu has also left the club to join Sporting CP.
Martinez would have added more competition to the base of the Blaugrana side. He's calm on the ball, reads the game well and has developed into a leader at the Camp Nou.
However, ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan can see why Barcelona are unwilling to pay the aforementioned sum to sign the player:
It's important Barcelona have depth at the back, though. Throughout the course of the campaign, Valverde will not be able to solely rely on Pique, Umtiti and Mascherano. His other options are the injury-prone Thomas Vermaelen and Marlon, who is untested at the highest level.
Martinez's acquisition would make a lot of sense. At 26, he still has his peak years to come, while being left-sided means he would bring an ideal balance to the back four.
However, with €222 million (£200 million) secured by Barca from the sale of Neymar, it appears La Real will be out to earn as much as they can from the sale of a star man.
Galatasaray president Dursun Ozbek has said the club are in talks with Barcelona over the potential signing of Arda Turan from Barcelona.
Arda Turan in Galatasaray Talks
"Arda is a Galatasaray fan," he said, per Ozgur Sancar of AS. "He loves the club and he will serve this club again. The only option he has to play in Turkey is here and we want Arda to retire at Galatasaray. We are working on a deal to arrange his transfer."
Turan has struggled to find his best for Barcelona since joining the club in 2015 and failed to force his way into the plans of former boss Luis Enrique last season.
During his time at Atletico Madrid, the Turkey international was one of the best players in La Liga, thriving under the guidance of Diego Simeone. Needless to say, sports journalist Rafael Hernandez hasn't been impressed with the player during his time at the Camp Nou:
Now 30, Turan will not want to be sat on the bench at Barcelona. He should be in the peak years of his career and should be getting regular football.
Even with Neymar gone, it's tough to see how the former Atletico man can force his way back into contention at the Camp Nou. A move back to Galatasaray to become a key member of the side may be what’s needed for him to reignite his stalled career.
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