Valencia made January loan bid for 18-year-old Barcelona prodigy | OneFootball

A recent report from SPORT has revealed that Valencia showed interest in signing Hector Fort from Barcelona to strengthen their right-back position during the January transfer window.

It must be noted that Valencia were active in the winter transfer market, being one of the fortunate clubs with the financial ability to make new signings. Strengthening the right-back position was a priority for the team’s coach, Carlos Corberan.

Corberan and his team identified young players with some experience and affordable costs for the club’s budget and Fort, for that matter, was a standout name on their list.

Since the arrival of Hansi Flick as Barcelona’s coach, Fort had limited playtime, which caught Valencia’s attention. Interestingly, they hoped to secure him on loan during the January transfer window.

Valencia made contact

Valencia tried to sign Hector Fort on loan. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Valencia’s sporting management initiated contacts to explore the possibility of Fort’s loan move. However, they quickly learned that Fort was not available for a transfer during the winter.

His representatives made it clear that he would not consider leaving Barcelona until the summer. As a result, Fort remained at Barcelona, waiting for the few playing opportunities behind Jules Kounde.

Despite the setback, Corberan was determined to strengthen the right-back position. Valencia eventually signed Max Aarons on loan from Bournemouth until the end of the season.

Interestingly, Barcelona had previously been in talks with Norwich City over Aarons’ potential transfer to Camp Nou just over four years ago. Despite not landing Aarons at that time, the player is now set to play a key role at Valencia for the rest of the season.

For what it is worth, Valencia were certainly not the only team expressing interest in Fort. As it turns out, Serie A side Como also made contacts, but the player’s desire to succeed at Barcelona ended the speculation.