Barcelona MUST sign elite Liverpool target as Real Madrid defeat shows key issue | OneFootball

Real Madrid beating Barcelona in El Clasico showed why Hansi Flick’s side simply must win the race for Liverpool and Bayern Munich target Marc Guehi next summer.

Barcelona beat Madrid four times last season as they completed a stunning domestic treble of LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana. But Madrid got revenge in Xabi Alonso’s first El Clasico as a manager, winning 2-1 at the Bernabeu.

In an enthralling game, Kylian Mbappe gave Madrid the lead before Fermin Lopez equalised for Barca. The Blaugrana were only level for five minutes though as Jude Bellingham scored what proved to be the winner shortly before half time.

The game had everything, including Mbappe’s missed penalty, controversial refereeing decisions, Pedri’s late red card and an on-pitch brawl at full time.

Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona: How it happened

On co-commentary, former Madrid star Steve McManaman said Barca would be in ‘mad trouble’ if they continued playing such a high line against Mbappe.

Centre-backs Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia had several warnings early on but did not change tactics, which saw Mbappe race in behind in the 22nd minute. Bellingham picked out the France captain with a great through ball and he made no mistake with his finish.

Flick, who was up in the stands serving a one-match ban, failed to tell his coaching staff to get his side to drop deeper and nullify Mbappe’s threat.

Barca are understood to be rivalling Liverpool, Madrid and Bayern for Guehi, who has announced he will be leaving Crystal Palace when his contract expires at the end of the season.

It could be argued that if Guehi, a strong defensive leader, was in Barca’s backline, he would have ensured the team dropped deeper to stop Mbappe’s runs.

Guehi is also quicker than Garcia and therefore may have coped better with Madrid’s talisman.

Barca need England’s best centre-back

Guehi is England’s best centre-half, and he could help 18-year-old Cubarsi develop into an even better defender.

Barca will be in need of defensive reinforcements next summer. Andreas Christensen could leave on a free transfer amid interest from Atletico Madrid and Saudi Arabia, while Ronald Araujo is consistently linked with an exit so Barca can recoup funds from his sale.

Jules Kounde would be a solid option but he generally plays at right-back. Cubarsi is on his way to becoming one of the best young centre-backs around but at 18 Barca cannot rely heavily on him.

Barca are still operating under financial restrictions so the free signing of Guehi would make perfect sense.

They are plotting a similar move for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic. Such deals would see Barca bring in two top-quality stars while also saving money to be spent on other areas of the squad.

Liverpool saw a deadline-day move for Guehi fall through in the summer. The Reds remain frontrunners to sign Guehi in 2026, though he is now considering other options too.

The 25-year-old will soon be one of the most talented free agents around and this has seen Europe’s biggest clubs start to pursue him.

He is a top target for Bayern, while Madrid have added him to their shortlist alongside Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano.

There could be several battles over centre-backs in the summer as Barca are interested in Bayern’s Upamecano too.

Meanwhile, Barca are rivalling three Premier League clubs for the capture of a new Bundesliga star, as per a report.

Atleti’s Julian Alvarez is widely regarded as Barca’s dream signing to replace Robert Lewandowski.