Headline: Racing Santander’s Almeida Reveals Barcelona’s Attempt to Sign Him from Valencia
In a recent interview on Radio MARCA, Andre Almeida, the Racing Santander midfielder, disclosed that Barcelona sought to acquire him during his tenure at Valencia, but the transfer was ultimately blocked by the club.
The 26-year-old Portuguese player currently plays on loan at Racing from Valencia, a deal that began last summer.
Almeida’s move to Barcelona could have materialized had circumstances been different.
Almeida claims Barcelona wanted him
In his remarks, Almeida shared that Barcelona attempted to sign him shortly after he joined Valencia. The midfielder was enthusiastic about the potential move, seeing it as a realization of a ‘dream’, but Los Che prevented the transfer as they were struggling against relegation.
“No, no, it was in January, in my first season there, as we were fighting against relegation and I was an important player, and I’d also just arrived at Valencia,” he said.
“They wouldn’t let me leave, but obviously it was a dream for me. But you have to accept it when you sign contracts and the club has taken that decision, and I have to accept it.”
Almeida joined Valencia in the summer of 2022 from Vitoria Guimaraes for approximately €8 million. According to Almeida, the interest from Barcelona emerged during the January transfer window of 2023, during Xavi Hernandez’s management of the team.
However, Valencia opted against allowing Almeida’s transfer as they were focused on maintaining their position in La Liga under former manager Gennaro Gattuso.
How has Andre Almeida’s career progressed since then?
Despite the missed opportunity to join Barcelona, Almeida remained a key player for Valencia, amassing 119 appearances and contributing four goals and 13 assists. Recently, the versatile midfielder made a switch to Racing Santander on loan, where he has participated in six matches to date. Notably, Almeida did not feature in the Racing team’s heavy 7-2 defeat against Barcelona in La Liga earlier this season.
