The defender urged Valencia to allow him to move to Camp Nou and his wish now appears to have been granted after weeks of negotiations
By Pilar Suarez
Barcelona have reached an agreement with Valencia over the signing of centre-back Jeremy Mathieu and are set to announce the deal on Tuesday.
The two clubs have been locked in negotiations for several weeks, with the Catalans eventually confirming their interest in the player after lodging an opening bid on July 16.
That offer was rejected as Valencia demanded Barca matched the player's release clause, which stands at €20 million, before the player pleaded with his current employers to sanction a move to Camp Nou.
The 30-year-old's wish has now been granted after the two sides agreed a fee believed to be close to Valencia's asking price, and he could even be unveiled as a Barcelona player on Tuesday.
Mathieu will head to Catalonia as the rest of his soon to be former team-mates at Valencia head to South America for a pre-season tour on Wednesday.
In signing for the club, the Frenchman becomes Barcelona's fifth signing of the summer following the arrivals of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Claudio Bravo, Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez.
The move bolsters a backline left depleted by the retirement of Carles Puyol at the end of the season, with Mathieu set to battle it out for a place alongside Gerard Pique at the heart of the back four.
source: Goal.com
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