Valencia and Barcelona made an agreement for Nico Gonzalez to be on loan with the Bats until 2023. Unfortunately, the midfielder didn't appear in their matchup last Saturday, but there's a reason why that not all are aware of.
La Masia is one of the best places to find young talents. Barcelona has made a school that dominates the youth categories, but of course not all can make it to the first team.
One of those cases is Nico Gonzalez. The talent is there and Barcelona knows it, so that's why they offered him on loan and not sold him definitively, hoping that one day he can return in a great shape to Catalunya.
Why didn't Valencia's Nico Gonzalez play against Barcelona?
Matchday 12 of the 2022-23 LaLiga season presented a very interesting game between Valencia and Barcelona. The Blaugranas won with a late goal by Robert Lewandowski, but the big missing name was on the Bats' side.
Nico Gonzalez is on loan with Valencia until 2023. He started his career at Barcelona, but the Spanish midfielder was unable to earn a spot in Xavi's side and that's why he left this year.
But there's a catch on this loan. When Barcelona and Valencia reached an agreement for the midfielder, the Blaugranas put a cheeky clause. The Bats couldn't use their player against them or they should pay a €100K-€300K fee to them.
That was the real reason why Nico Gonzalez didn't even appear in the bench for Valencia. He is set to return to Barcelona in summer of 2023, but it is uncertain if his club is willing to buy him definitevely.