 During the campaign, he contributed with 11 goals from 30 appearances to help the Valencians to a best-ever fifth position, as well as the final of the Copa del Rey; subsequently, he caught the eye of both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, but as the former had practically secured his services, manager Lucien Muller opposed to the transfer citing his team's lack of attacking options.In late May 1974, after Castellón's relegation, Clares finally joined Barcelona, as a direct replacement for Johan Cruyff as the foreign players were not allowed to participate in the Spanish Cup.During the knock-out competition, he finished as top scorer with five successful strikes in only six matches, but the final ended 4–0 in favour of Real Madrid.