FC Barcelona could have a new opportunity to sign Marcelo Brozovic, the talented 30-year-old Croatian midfielder. Despite having committed to Al-Nassr until 2026 after paying a hefty €18m to Inter, the circumstances could change in favor of the Catalan club. The reason for this surprising situation is an old sanction imposed by FIFA on the Saudi club, which has not yet been settled and could prevent the player’s registration.
according to account Sports worldAll this conflict dates back to 2018, when Al-Nassr acquired the Nigerian striker Ahmed Musa, from Leicester, for just over 15 million euros. However, in October 2021, FIFA sanctioned the Arab club because they did not pay the English club a sum of around 460,000 euros, plus interest corresponding to the agreed bonuses. FIFA will surely pay under the threat of imposing a sanction on Al-Nassr, and to this day, the Saudi club has not paid the outstanding debt.
Although the amount owed is not excessive, FIFA expects Al-Nassr to meet its obligations and make the corresponding payment to Leicester. The Arab club excuses itself arguing that this debt is prior to its absorption by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), and ensures that said debt will be settled soon.
The Barça could try it again
Faced with this situation, FC Barcelona, which had already ruled out the possibility of signing Brozovic due to his commitment to Al-Nassr, could see a light at the end of the tunnel. If the Saudi club fails to make the payment required by FIFA, it will be banned from signing for three market windows, starting with the current one. This would open a window of opportunity for Barcelona to reconsider the possibility of having the Croatian midfielder in their ranks.