Barcelona consider signing La Liga defender as Ronald Araujo replacement | OneFootball

After Ronald Araujo’s move to Liverpool was completed on Monday, Barcelona have started looking into possible replacements. The club was clear that no one would be signed until someone left, which is why they are ready to step up plans to add another central defender into the mix for head coach Hansi Flick.

Cristian Romero has already been ruled out, with Flick deeming the Tottenham Hotspur and Argentina defender to not be a suitable fit for his system. The likelihood is that the German will prioritise left-sided options to ensure that Pau Cubarsi can operate on the right, and that is where the name of Natan comes into the mix.

Earlier in the summer, Barcelona were offered the chance to sign Natan, and since then, he has been in the back of the sporting department’s minds. He’s now emerging as a leading target to replace the departed Araujo, as reported by TNT Sports Brazil (via MD).

Natan, who has impressed since joining Real Betis two years ago, is a similar player to Araujo in that he is strong and physically dominant, but his ball-playing ability is much better, which is why he could be an enticing option for Flick. Furthermore, he would not be overly expensive, especially when compared to the likes of Romero and Alessandro Bastoni, who was also ruled out by Barcelona earlier in the summer.

Youthfulness gives Natan the edge in centre-back race

The likelihood is that Natan would be open to joining Barcelona, and on paper, he is a signing that makes a lot of sense. At 25, he’s much younger than Aymeric Laporte, who has also been linked as left-sided centre-back signing, and if he does end up making the move to the Spotify Camp Nou, it would be no surprise if he took his game to another level when playing alongside better teammates.