Barcelona set to take crucial step to open the doors for January signings | OneFootball

The serious knee injury sustained by Andreas Christensen, along with the absence of Ronald Araujo due to mental health concerns, has left FC Barcelona considering defensive reinforcements in January.

Even though the Catalans are yet to reach the 1:1 Fair Play rule, Christensen’s absence, expected to last four months, opens the doors for the club to use 80% of his salary to sign and register a new player.

Barcelona ready to formalise Christensen’s absence

Now, according to SPORT, Barcelona are ready to process the long-term injury registration of Andreas Christensen following his partial ACL rupture, which will rule him out for more than four months.

For the moment, no final decision has been taken, but everything points to the formalities being accelerated before the end of the year, with the aim of keeping open the option of signing a defender during the January transfer window.

Barcelona are analysing different possibilities, and nothing has been decided yet.

But initiating the bureaucratic process to formalise the Dane’s absence with La Liga would indicate that every effort will be made to bring in a reliable replacement to help during the decisive phase of the season, although it will not be easy.

Christensen is out for four months. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Flick concerned

As per the report, Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick is particularly concerned about Christensen’s injury.

The German had already agreed with the sporting management that the club would not go to the market despite the unusual situation surrounding Ronald Araujo, but the Dane’s injury represents a significant risk.

Flick is convinced that action is required, as any further setback from February onwards would leave the club unable to react, leaving the team in a very precarious situation defensively.

The sporting department has very limited room for manoeuvre due to the salary cap. However, by registering Christensen’s long-term absence, the club would be able to use 80% of his salary, which would help facilitate the arrival of a quality loan signing.

The aim is for any incoming defender to be versatile, capable of playing either as a centre-back or a full-back. If the profile is left-footed or able to operate on the left side, that would be even more advantageous.

However, Barcelona are very clear – no signing will be made unless the player has sufficient quality to compete for a starting place.