Following Barcelona’s 0-4 defeat to Real Madrid in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final last night, manager Xavi Hernandez has informed the club that he wants them to sign a new right-back as a priority in the summer, reports Javi Miguel of AS.
After the harrowing defeat at Camp Nou, it is claimed that a meeting was held involving all key stakeholders such as Xavi, club president Joan Laporta, director Mateu Alemany and other executives of the sporting department.
And during the meeting, it was made clear that Barcelona need to sign new players in the summer, especially in the right-back position, in order to compete with teams at the highest level consistently.
Barcelona have largely relied on Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo as right-backs this season. And even though the pair have exceeded expectations, they are not naturals in the position and it shows on occasions.
Thus, Xavi has made it a point that a new right-back is signed in the summer. The report states that the club would be willing to make a financial effort in order to reinforce the position before the next season commences.
And, as per Javi Miguel, Xavi’s preferred option to strengthen the right-back slot is Villarreal and Argentina star Juan Foyth.
The 25-year-old has been on Barça’s radar since last summer when a move failed due to the player picking up an injury and Villarreal’s unwavering financial demands.
Part of the Argentina squad that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Foyth has a €54 million release clause in his contract with the Yellow Submarine. And they have made it clear that they would be unwilling to negotiate a lower price.
But Barcelona hope that they can convince Villarreal to lower their demands by offering a player in exchange once the transfer window is open for business.
The report states that the club see Foyth as the player with the right profile to reinforce the right-back position.
The 25-year-old is versatile and can play at centre-back, while he also has the speed and ability to make forward runs, although one would say those are not his strongest suits.
Foyth remains Barcelona’s No. 1 candidate, with players like Benjamin Pavard of Bayern Munich, Thomas Meunier of Borussia Dortmund and Diogo Dalot of Manchester United seen as alternatives for the Argentine.
Meanwhile, Javi Miguel also mentions that a move for Arnau Martinez and Joao Cancelo is completely off the table as the former has a pre-agreement with Atletico Madrid while the latter’s financial demands are seen as too high.
