BARCELONA are reportedly lining up Belgium boss Roberto Martinez as a replacement for their coach Robert Koeman.
Koeman, 58, has been under pressure after Barca’s poor recent run of form and the club’s hierarchy are considering giving him the boot, reports claim.
And Martinez, who led Belgium to the Euro 2020 quarter-final where they were beaten by eventual winners Italy 2-1, is the man Barca reckon can fill Koeman’s boots if they get rid of him, according to Sport.
The La Liga outfit think negotiations with the Belgians and Martinez will run smooth, but the price they’ll have to pay for him could cause them some issues.
Martinez has a release clause of £1.5million that the Catalan giants will have to pay to bring him to the Nou Camp.
And with their finances in disarray, Barca could have problems raising even that relatively small sum at the moment.
But despite being linked with the Barca job, Martinez was quick to dismiss any speculation that he’ll be replacing Koeman as just ‘rumours’ which he has nothing to respond to.
The ex-Everton boss told Eurosport: “Well as you can imagine there is nothing, nothing to comment for me.
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“When you lose three games the rumours are that you are going to lose your job.
“When things are going well, you are doing good results, the rumours will always be there, but it’s nothing for me to comment on at this point.”
The Spaniard’s fellow countryman and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has also been linked with Koeman’s job.
Arteta’s also been faced with the sack following the Gunners dismal start to the season, but Betfair have put him among the favourites along with Antonio Conte to take the helm at Barca.
It emerged that Koeman’s job was under threat following Barca’s 3-0 loss against Bayern Munich in the Champions League last week.
The club’s president Joan Laporta was said to be so livid with Barca’s performance that he called a meeting immediately after the game to discuss Koeman’s future.
Barca’s fans have also turned on the Dutchman and were calling for his head following their last-gasp 1-1 draw with minnows Granada, which saw defender Gerard Pique used as a striker.
The pressure surrounding his future seems to be taking its toll on Koeman who walked out of his latest Barca press conference, where he chose to read out a defiant statement and not answer any questions from the media.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
