Barcelona have moved to ease their central defensive crisis with a loan move for Valencia’s Jeison Murillo, according to Spanish outlet Marca.
They report that the Colombian defender has moved to the Camp Nou until the end of the season, when Barca will have the opportunity to sign him permanently for 25 million euros.
Murillo himself has already expressed a desire to remain at the club and prove he can be more than just a stopgap as injuries have taken hold at the heart of Ernesto Valverde’s backline.
Barca have been linked with a move for Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld of late as well, so their move for Murillo offers a boost to Mauricio Pochettino’s hopes of keeping him in north London.
The latest development in Alderweireld’s contract saga is that Tottenham have triggered an extension that will keep him at the club for another year but also makes him available for £25m in the summer transfer window.
So Barca could still theoretically engineer a cut-price deal at the end of the season but the option to buy they have in place for Murillo – which of course is even cheaper than Alderweireld’s release clause – indicates that they may be more willing to go in that direction.