Rayo Vallecano Sporting Director sends clear message on transfer demands for 26-year-old Barcelona target | OneFootball

FC Barcelona were not able to play their La Liga match last night because of the passing of one of their doctors, but they will still be keeping an eye on the other matches taking place in the competition as their first place in the league table is at stake.

One of the matches that the Blaugranes will be keeping a particular eye on will be between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, which is scheduled to take place today.

While the Merengues are one of the contenders for the La Liga title, the Catalans will also be keeping an eye on Rayo, at least on one particular player from their team, i.e., the full-back Andrei Ratiu, who will probably be facing Vinicius Junior in this game.

The Romanian full-back has been linked with Barcelona for quite some time now, as Deco believes he will be quite a good option to provide cover for Jules Kounde on the right flank.

However, getting him will not really be easy, as the Madrid team is not willing to bargain for such an important component of their team. As SPORT has reported, this was made clear by David Cobeno, the Sporting Director of Rayo, as he appeared in a recent interview.

The Rayo official made it clear that any side that wants to sign the defender will have to pay his full release clause:

“Andrei is our player at 50%. If anyone wants to ask us about him, we can talk, but we will ask for the release clause. This is his first season continuously playing at the elite level, and we want him to stay with us. He is a fundamental pillar for the team to continue growing in the championship next year.”

Barcelona have already undertaken contacts with the Madrid side for Ratiu’s potential move, but one of their proposals for a player exchange was rejected by Rayo.

The Romanian defender’s current release clause is €25 million, but his market value is only €7 million. However, it is easy to understand why Rayo will be demanding a high amount of money for him, as Cobeno himself commented that they only own 50% of his rights, while the rest is owned by Villarreal.