Barcelona faces a very important new challenge in the upcoming winter transfer market. After saying goodbye to Gerard Pique, it is now time to look to the future with optimism and the knowledge that a new central defender will arrive. And Xavi Hernandez wants one of Pep Guardiola’s players, but Manchester City will make the sale expensive
Barcelona needs a new central defender
Pique’s departure will leave a new void in defence. Therefore, it is necessary to go to the winter transfer market to find a new footballer who can fill the position left by the Catalan player. The idea is to offer a central guarantee that he is left-handed, as all the middlemen are now right-handed and Xavi must turn to Marcos Alonso, the converted left-back
Barcelona has many plans on the table. The easiest thing to achieve, because the agreement is comprehensive with the footballer, is to sign Inigo Martinez. The central defender of the sports club is an international, an undisputed key player with the Basque club and a guarantee in terms of strength and the ball at his feet
But beyond Inigo Martinez, a new name is also appearing on the table. As reported by Sport, Aymeric Laporte is Barcelona’s plan B to sign a central defender. However, the Manchester City footballer is not for sale and his contract expires in 2025. In addition, his market value is €38 million
Pep Guardiola does not want any change at Manchester City
The focus now on signing Laporte, apart from being very complicated to achieve, as Barcelona will have to convince all parties, will be a very costly transfer. Xavi wants to include him and he will be his favorite, but there are many factors that prevent Barcelona from achieving this dream signing. This is not the first time he has appeared on Barcelona’s wish list
“We will not sign anyone in January,” Guardiola told a news conference. We already have the team.” So, if they don’t want anyone to sign, they don’t seem willing to let anyone go either. Barcelona’s option to sign Laporte is getting more and more complicated
