Pau Cubarsi picks his preferred Barcelona defensive signing for January | OneFootball

It is not ruled out that Barcelona look to sign a new central defender when the transfer window re-opens in January. The club tried – but failed – to bring someone in during the summer, although they will have another opportunity to strengthen Hansi Flick’s squad – and they have the financial margin to do so.

Thus, efforts are already being made to draw up a shortlist of targets for the winter. The likes of Nico Schlotterbeck and Castello Lukeba are said to feature prominently in Barcelona’s plans, although no final decision has yet been made by Flick and Deco.

Whoever comes in is expected to partner Pau Cubarsi, who is undisputed in Barcelona’s defence. The 19-year-old is unlikely to have a say in who Barcelona go for, although El Nacional have reported that he’s made it clear that he wants to play alongside Aymeric Laporte, whom the Catalans were interested in signing in the summer.

From Cubarsi’s perspective, Laporte offers a fresh start, international experience and an ability to read defensive situations that would make life much easier. The pair have already built a formidable partnership in the Spanish national team, so the Athletic Club man would fit in well if he ended up at the Spotify Camp Nou.

Deco has different plans for Barcelona defensive signing

Unfortunately for Cubarsi, it seems unlikely that Barcelona will try to sign Laporte in January. Athletic have no plans to negotiate, but even if they, Deco has seemingly shifted his focus to a different target: Arthur Dias. The 19-year-old, who is in Brazil’s senior squad for the ongoing international break, has been scouted by Can Barca officials in recent weeks, which suggests that a move could be made soon.