Nikola Kalinic revealed that Barcelona already tried to sign him a year ago but Crvena Zvezda were faster. He believes egos will not be a problem and is happy to join an organization that aspires to achieve and win everything.
Nikola Kalinic is one of six new signings FC Barcelona presented yesterday in a special event. Together with Tomas Satoransky, Oscar da Silva, Jan Vesely, Mike Tobey, and Oriol Pauli, the Serbian forward shared some thoughts about the upcoming season.
Nikola Kalinic
| Team: |
FC Barcelona |
| Position: | SF |
| Age: | 30 |
| Height: | 202 cm |
| Weight: | 101 kg |
| Birth place: | Subotica, Serbia |
The process of acquiring Kalinic was more difficult than usual for Barca. The player had already played in Spain before, therefore, the rights of signing him from a foreign club belonged to the team he had first competed in - Valencia Basket.
Barcelona had to pay a reported €500,000 to gain the rights to the Serbian player before beginning to officially negotiate a contract. Kalinic revealed that it was not the first summer the Catalan powerhouse tried to strike a deal.
"We talked last summer but we did not reach an agreement. Crvena Zvezda were faster and that's why I went there. Now I want to find a good environment and play where I feel happy", Kalinic told during the event. "I was hoping they would come to an agreement because I wanted to come here at this point in my career - being in the EuroLeague and fighting for the best possible trophies."
"The managers did their job and it was done in the end," he said. For him, this project constitutes a leap forward in his career compared to last year: "My role in Crvena Zvezda was different, [I was] more of a leader. Now I have seen the dream come true of helping a large project with aspirations. We will give everything to achieve them, egos are not going to be a problem."
Nikola Kalinic was the top-scorer with 17 points in the Catalan League final two days ago where Barca defeated Joventut Badalona to reclaim the title.
