{"id":69635,"date":"2026-08-12T15:13:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/69635\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T15:13:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:13:12","slug":"barcelona-decide-academy-gem-is-not-enough-as-deco-hunts-new-defensive-signing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/69635\/","title":{"rendered":"Barcelona decide academy gem is not enough as Deco hunts new defensive signing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barcelona have identified another area that needs attention before the transfer window closes, with Deco pushing for an experienced centre-back following Ronald Araujo\u2019s move to Liverpool<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is said that the Catalan club is not convinced that their current options are enough to get through the entire 2026\/27 campaign, particularly with Araujo no longer available.<\/p>\n

According to AS<\/a>, sporting director Deco is now working intensively on the market in search of a left-footed centre-back who can provide both experience and reliability.<\/p>\n

Notably, that search could have consequences for Alvaro Cortes, who remains an option for Hansi Flick, but Barcelona are not convinced that he is ready to carry the responsibility of being a regular first-team defender.<\/p>\n

Barcelona need experience after Araujo departure<\/p>\n

Araujo\u2019s loan move to Liverpool has changed the depth of Barcelona\u2019s defence.<\/p>\n

\"AlvaroAlvaro Cortes might end up leaving too. (Picture credit: Instagram\/@alvaarocortes)<\/p>\n

The club is now left with Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Gerard Martin and Andreas Christensen as their main first-team options in the position, leaving less room for rotation over what promises to be a long campaign.<\/p>\n

Cortes could theoretically provide additional cover, but the club still has doubts about whether he can make the jump from occasional appearances to a full season competing for a regular first-team role.<\/p>\n

On top of that, there is another complication, as Cortes no longer wants to return to Bar\u00e7a Atl\u00e8tic and already has offers from elsewhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A departure in the coming days<\/a> is therefore possible, which would make Barcelona\u2019s need for another centre-back even more pressing.<\/p>\n

Deco is consequently looking for someone<\/a> who can arrive and immediately provide competition rather than simply another young player who needs time to develop.<\/p>\n

Deco wants a left-footed Barcelona centre-back<\/p>\n

\"RonaldRonald Araujo\u2019s Liverpool move has opened doors for a centre-back signing at Barcelona. (Photo courtesy: Liverpool official website)<\/p>\n

The profile Barcelona are seeking is a left-footed centre-back who can offer experience and fit within the club\u2019s financial limitations.<\/p>\n

On that note, Luka Vuskovic was admired by Barcelona before completing his move to Brighton<\/a>, but at 19, he was considered too young for what Deco currently needs.<\/p>\n

The same concern applies to Jon Martin of Real Sociedad. Barcelona like the defender, but his age makes him less suitable for the immediate requirement.<\/p>\n

The same thinking explains why Cristian Romero was not considered the perfect fit despite his experience and quality.<\/p>\n

Barcelona are not simply looking for the best available centre-back. They want a very specific profile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Barcelona have identified another area that needs attention before the transfer window closes, with Deco pushing for an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":69636,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[8393,92,222,331,223],"class_list":["post-69635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-barcelona","tag-alvaro-cortes","tag-barcelona","tag-barcelona-news","tag-deco","tag-fc-barcelona"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69635\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}