Barcelona not ruling out signing a brand-new protector in the

Barcelona fans have been rocked by the abrupt news of Inigo Martinez’s departure, with the veteran defender all set to move to Saudi Arabia.This begins

the back of an outstanding season that saw Martinez become a crucial cog in Hansi Flick’s defensive scheme.According to Achraf Ben

Ayad, Barcelona have not eliminated signing a new defender in the wake of Martinez’s imminent departure.The Spaniard, after all, was an important part of Flick’s protective plan that relied greatly on a high line of press.But with him gone, Barcelona will need to depend on Ronald Araujo, who is typically

vulnerable to making mistakes and Eric Garcia, who is more of an energy player than a fully-fledged starter.Will Barcelona sign a replacement for Inigo Martinez?( Image by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)Keeping that in mind,

the Blaugrana are open to signing a new player in the transfer market so long as he meets the club

‘s criteria.One would assume among the club’s criteria will be cost-effectiveness, as Barcelona are not likely to go after a big-money option right now.However, the internal message from the club is that the group ought to count on in-house alternatives offered, which include the similarity Araujo, Garcia and even Andreas Christensen.The Dane is likely to

stay following Martinez’s impending exit, as Deco had actually guaranteed that only one Barcelona defender would leave the club this summer.Martinez, for his part, will leave Barcelona as one of the team’s performing protectors during his short spell in Catalonia.