Matteo Moretto Transfer Column: Yarek Gasiorowski, Wojciech Szczesny, Raul Gonzalez and Barcelona forward hunt

Matteo Moretto gives Football España exclusive information on the latest deals dominating the papers in Spain, as revealed in Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing.

Inter asked about Yarek Gasiorowski but enquiry went no further

Inter simply enquired about Valencia defender Yarek Gasiorowski during the summer transfer window about what it would take to get him out of Valencia. Many clubs were not aware of what Los Che were asking for, and so Inter were among the ones that asked for more information, but there were more who did so too.

They wanted to know when his contract expired (it will be renewed shortly based on appearances), how much would he cost and what clauses are in his contract, because he is a player Inter like a lot, but that goes for several more clubs. There’s not much more to say than that, because Yarek is not out of contract, and Valencia are asking for a lot of money.

They wanted to understand the realities of his contractual situation after receiving good scouting reports. He’s a player with a big future.

Wojciech Szczesny will battle for number one spot at Barcelona without number one promise

After Marc-Andre ter Stegen sustained his knee injury, they got in touch with Wojciech Szczesny. They have an agreement, and they are simply waiting until after the weekend to sign it. Szczesny should arrive in Barcelona either late on Sunday or on Monday morning to sign his deal, and he has accepted the offer. He will undergo his medical then, but the truth is everything is agreed, they have given their word, and Szczesny has green-lighted the move too. It’s just the signature that’s missing, the deal is done.

Szczesny will bring a lot of experience to the dressing room, and he has accepted the possibility that he will be the number two to Inaki Pena, and that his role could be secondary, a role that is more important in terms of what he brings to the dressing room.

All the same, Szczesny will be competing for the number one spot with Pena, and will do all he can to win it off him. Szczesny knows Robert Lewandowski well, and it’s important to point out that he adds a lot of positive aspects to the dressing room. He spent a long time at Juventus, and he left his mark on the dressing room, no doubt. So that’s a part of this deal too.

Too soon to talk about Barcelona looking for a forward

It is very early to be speaking about Barcelona looking at a forward, and the first thing to say is that Barcelona are not actively working on anything at the moment. They have been linked with some major names, but it’s too soon. Next year we will have to see what Robert Lewandowski’s future is, because he will turn 37 next August. Vitor Roque is out on loan at Real Betis, and there is the option to extend his loan too, so we will have to see about that.

There is of course, logically, a potential need for a new forward at Barcelona next summer. Given they don’t have another number nine in their squad apart from Pau Victor, that may be something they need to address depending on how things go with the other two.

Why is Real Madrid Castilla manager Raul Gonzalez always linked with job in Germany?

Raul Gonzalez played at Schalke, and that plays a big part in the fact that he is constantly linked with a return as manager. They love him there, they value him a lot, both as a person and a manager, and they know exactly what type of person they are getting because of his time there as a player. He also knows German football well, and that partly explains why Schalke are linked with him repeatedly.

This week Schalke directors traveled to Madrid to speak with Raul and try to convince him to leave Castilla, but the plan is for him to stay for another season in the Spanish capital, and continue his growth there. The reason we keep seeing this story is because they know exactly what he can bring to the role.

Matteo Moretto will be back with more transfer news in the coming days, providing exclusive information on the biggest stories in Spain and Italy.