Iñigo's contract expires this summer and his agent, Carmelo Sánchez, the player's uncle, has held several meetings over the last few months with Mateu Alemany, Barça's director of football, as he has done with other clubs interested in signing the Basque player.

Doubts of the agent and the family were due to the uncertainty generated by the compliance with Financial Fair Play and a possible sanctions to Barça for the Negreira case.

However, an agreement was reached and Iñigo has since passed a medical and signed a contract for two seasons, a period of time considered appropriate by the club for a 31-year-old player.

His incorporation has been an express request from Xavi Hernández, who was looking for a centre-back profile of Iñigo's type: experienced, forceful, aggressive and with good ball control from the back.

The player has spent 12 seasons in the Primera División and has 20 senior Spain caps under his belt, which guarantees reliability and a 'quick fit' as he knows several Barça players from training camps with the national team.

As we reported in March, the player prioritised the option of playing for Barça at the expense of compliance with La Liga's salary rule.

Athletic are already looking for a replacement

The problem now comes for Athletic Bilbao, who must find a replacement. Osasuna's David Garcia is one of the options, but the price of his release clause complicates the operation.

A return of Aymeric Laporte is also a possible - but his contract expires in 2025, and that means negotiating with Manchester City. Athletic's sporting management has been sounding out the market for some time to find a suitable replacement to cover such a notable loss.

Carrasco could be next

With the left-sided centre-back position already covered, Barça are still looking for bargains in the market.

Their financial situation will not allow them to spend big, as they must raise 200 million euros to meet the parameters demanded by La Liga, either by selling assets, transferring players, reducing the salaries of those who remain or a bit of everything.

In this policy of containment and reduction of spending, as long as the 200 million target is achieved, Belgian star Yannick Carrasco could be picked up in exchange for 15 million euros. That is the amount that was set in the transfer of Memphis Depay to Atlético Madrid in the winter.

The winger would be delighted with the move and Xavi would love to have him, but it will all depend on how Barça manage to ease the strain on their treasury and make room for possible arrivals.