Barcelona and Real Madrid to go head-to-head for 26-year-old La Liga star - Reports

Barcelona and Real Madrid will reportedly battle it out to sign Valencia left-back Jose Gaya.

According to El Nacional (via The Hard Tackle), Gaya is valued at around €20 million with both Barcelona and Real Madrid interested. The Blaugrana were linked with the left-back in the summer as well, but the move failed to go through.

Both clubs' interest in Gaya is understandable. Barcelona need to sign a long-term replacement for veteran left-back Jordi Alba. While Alba has been in good form recently for club and country, he will be turning 33 next march. The only other left-back the Catalans have is teenager Alejandro Balde.

Signing Gaya would allow Barcelona to give Balde some more time to develop. They will also be able to deploy a world-class full-back at a bargain fee of €20 million.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are set to announce the exit of Brazilian full-back Marcelo next summer. The left-back, who has been with Los Blancos since 2007, will see his contract expire at the end of the ongoing season. Marcelo has only featured sparingly for Real Madrid in recent times, with the club opting to play Ferland Mendy and Nacho in his stead.

By signing Gaya, the Spanish giants will be able to provide Mendy with steady competition that could improve both players. The move will also allow Real Madrid to play Nacho as a centre-back, having let Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane depart in the summer.

The report from El Nacional suggests, however, that Gaya intends to stay with Valencia. Consequently, both Real Madrid and Barcelona will need to come up with very attractive offers to prise the 26-year-old from Mestalla.

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Barcelona and Real Madrid target Jose Gaya has been immense for Valencia over the years

Valencia CF full-back Jose Gaya.

Jose Gaya rose through the ranks at Valencia before transitioning into the first team in 2014. Gaya has been one of the club's most consistent performers over the years.

Over the last seven years, the left-back has made 270 appearances for Valencia. Gaya has scored eight goals and provided 32 assists in those matches. He also has 17 caps for the Spanish national team in which he has scored three goals and assisted four.

Gaya was also part of the Valencia team that won the Copa del Rey in the 2018-19 season. They beat Barcelona 2-1 in the final, with the 26-year-old assisting one of their goals.