Barcelona are considering a late move for a high-level centre-back as sporting director Deco looks to complete the club’s summer transfer business, with the signing dependent on the club’s financial position.
The Catalan club’s immediate priority is to complete a series of player departures in the coming days. Barcelona hope those exits will generate significant income and create more room within their wage limit, allowing them to register players who remain outside the squad.
According to Sport, Barcelona’s principal transfer objective is to sign a striker, with Atletico de Madrid forward Julian Alvarez still their leading target. The club are also pursuing Rodri and Joao Cancelo, with both deals described as being very close to completion.
However, the sporting department is also exploring the possibility of making one further addition. Deco wants to bring in at least one elite centre-back before the transfer window closes, preferably a left-footed defender, if the financial calculations allow it.
Deco has believed since the start of the summer that Barcelona need to strengthen in central defence. The club previously explored a move for Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni, but that option was eventually discarded because there was no unanimous agreement within the sporting department and the player was considered too expensive.
The centre-back issue had subsequently been placed on hold, but the departure of Ronald Araujo has reopened the possibility of a new signing. Barcelona are now determined to assess the market for a defender who can immediately improve the squad.
Head coach Hansi Flick is satisfied with the options provided by Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin, while also understanding the club’s desire to reinforce the position if an opportunity arises to recruit a player of proven quality.
The squad also includes Andreas Christensen and Eric Garcia, although Garcia is expected to play a significant number of minutes at full-back during the current season. Barcelona can also call upon academy player Alvaro Cortes, who is highly regarded internally, but the club believe the team would benefit from an experienced addition to provide dependable cover.
Barcelona have been searching for an exceptional defender in recent days, looking for a player capable of making a meaningful difference to the back line. Their ideal signing would offer the security and immediate performance associated with Inigo Martinez, while also adapting to the bold, aggressive style used by Flick.
Finding that profile will not be straightforward. Left-footed centre-backs are in strong demand and command high transfer fees, so Barcelona are specifically looking for a financially attractive opportunity.
Aymeric Laporte has emerged as one of the most prominent names under consideration. The player’s representatives, who say he is linked with Athletic Bilbao, have reportedly raised the possibility of a deal and indicated that his contract contains a favourable release clause. Barcelona took that information into account and studied whether the transfer could be completed.
Laporte is viewed as an ideal candidate, but the club must decide in the coming days whether to accelerate negotiations. Barcelona believe he could settle quickly because he played alongside Cubarsi in central defence at the World Cup, where he produced an impressive performance.
The main complication is that people close to Athletic Bilbao insist there is no release clause of the type being discussed. The Basque club also appears unwilling to enter negotiations over the player.
Another name to emerge in the past few hours is RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba, who has been closely monitored by Barcelona’s scouts throughout the year.
Lukeba is still developing but has shown strong physical qualities and the ability to build attacks from deep. Flick has received positive reports on the defender, who has consistently appeared on Barcelona’s list of possible targets.
A move for Lukeba, however, would require Barcelona to spend heavily in the short term.
The centre-back position has therefore not been ruled out. On the contrary, it remains an active part of Barcelona’s planning as the transfer window enters its final stage.
The club will initially focus on completing deals for Alvarez, Rodri and Cancelo, with the latter two transfers particularly close to being finalised. Once those matters are resolved, Barcelona are expected to return to the defensive market.
That potential centre-back signing would represent the final move Deco wants to make as he attempts to deliver a high-quality transfer window for Barcelona.
