Barcelona face transfer dilemma amid plans for major January signing | OneFootball

Barcelona have made a fantastic start to the 2026-27 season, and they hope to build on that momentum in January by adding to Hansi Flick’s squad. There are already plans in place for a new defender to be sought, with sporting director Deco having drawn up a shortlist of possible options to choose from.

Central defence is an area where Barcelona are light. After deciding against a signing in the summer, the Catalans have been left with Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin and Andreas Christensen as their frontline options, and with the latter now injured, it has intensified plans for a new face to be added into the mix.

However, it will not be straightforward for Barcelona to sign anyone in January – and not because clubs are less likely to sell mid-season. According to Sport, the Catalans will need to sell someone before having the capacity to make a major signing, such is the reality of their well-documented financial restrictions.

Barcelona only have €3m available in salary cap

Because they signed the likes of Anthony Gordon, Rodri and Joao Cancelo in the summer, Barcelona are at the limit of their salary cap. The report confirms there is only a margin of €3m, and this will not be enough to incorporate someone like Nico Schlotterbeck, Castello Lukeba or Aymeric Laporte, all of whom have been linked to the club in recent weeks.

Even if someone does not leave in January, which is unlikely given that Flick has plans for almost all of his first team players, it is not ruled that someone comes in. Recently, Deco has been exploring a move for Athletico PR defender Arthur Dias, whose salary – if signed – would be far below the €3m per annum gap that Barcelona have available. Thus, it’s more likely that he, or even Ruud Nijstad, ends up joining, rather than a more established name.