Asensio and the anti-Barcelona clause

Marco Asensio will leave Madrid on June 30th. Everything seems to indicate his next chapter will be with PSG. He has already reportedly passed the medical tests with the French club and the deal could be made official next week.

A few months, when the decision was less clearcut, there was speculation about a move to Barcelona. Jorge Mendes, his agent, was rumoured to be in discussion with the Catalans about a deal for Asensio.

However 'Mundo Deportivo' reports that it would never have been possible to see Asensio in Barcelona. How could that work? A clause in his contract that prohibited a move to Barca, even if he was out of contract in the capital. Not even as a free agent would it have been possible to make that particular move.

And Asensio isn't the only player with an 'anti-Barca' clause in his contract. The outlet reports that Dani Ceballos has the same caveat included in his contract.

This would mean that the winger quickly moved past Barcelona as an option, a team that had been closely following him for a while. In fact, he could have joined the 'Cules' in the 2014-15 window, but the club wouldn't pay the fee to Mallorca, his then-club, and it was Madrid that got their hands on him.

 

June 10, 2023