With the summer window not very far away, Barcelona are busy planning their strategies for the transfer market as they look to build on their successful La Liga campaign and reach greater heights next time around.
As such, a new defensive midfielder to replace Sergio Busquets and a new centre-forward to cover for Robert Lewandowski have been identified as top priorities for the summer, apart from the re-signing of Lionel Messi.
Now, Javi Miguel of AS is reporting that at Xavi’s insistence, Barcelona will also make a big effort to sign a new right-back in the summer transfer window.
The Blaugrana have had to make do with Jules Kounde as their primary right-back this season. The Frenchman has done well in a makeshift role but remains keen on returning to his natural centre-back position. Meanwhile, neither Sergi Roberto nor Ronald Araujo is a natural right-back either.
Hence, manager Xavi is keen for the club to bring in a top right-back in the summer. There had been some apprehensions about investing in a player in the position due to the Financial Fair Play situation. But, Barça have now given the green light for the signing of a right-back.
As per the report, Juan Foyth of Villarreal remains the preferred option for Xavi. However, his signing is made difficult by the fact that the Yellow Submarine are unwilling to negotiate an amount lower than his €54 million release clause.
As such, Barça could look to offer players such as Nico Gonzalez, Pablo Torre, or Ferran Torres in exchange to try and lower the cost of operation. But convincing Villarreal remains a challenge.
After Foyth, the next most-liked option by Xavi and the coaching staff is Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo, who is on loan at Bayern Munich.
But as with Foyth, the Portuguese international’s signing also comes with its own challenges.
Barça cannot afford to meet the full-back’s €70 million valuation and would thus prefer a loan deal for him. However, as per earlier reports, Real Madrid are also interested in Cancelo and would be open to a permanent transfer, which appeals to Manchester City.
