There\u2019s clearly something missing at center-back, and it\u2019s been a problem since I\u00f1igo Mart\u00ednez left. These defensive frailties raise questions about how far Barcelona can go in the Champions League.<\/p>\n
This season could look different, though. Ara\u00fajo has already left on loan to join Liverpool, and Alejandro Balde\u2019s future seems uncertain currently. If the left-back were to depart, a defensive reinforcements looks likely.<\/a><\/p>\n So who could be our potential left center-back signing? Flick and Deco reportedly want someone fast, comfortable on the ball, and able to play a high line: three names in particular keep cropping up.<\/p>\n Aymeric Laporte – Athletic Club<\/p>\n Europa Press via Getty Images<\/p>\n He\u2019s a proven leader at centre back. During the World Cup, he linked up brilliantly with Pau Cubarsi for Spain, conceding just once in eight matches together.<\/p>\n Athletic only signed him last September on a deal until 2028, and won\u2019t want to sell him to a direct rival<\/a>. Sporting director Mikel Gonz\u00e1lez has already insisted Laporte is going nowhere this summer.<\/p>\n Relations between Barcelona and Athletic remain tense, and it\u2019s been reported he would cost \u20ac80 million. If Barcelona could negotiate a fee, he\u2019d be a great short-term fix.<\/p>\n Castello Lukeba – RB Leipzig<\/p>\n NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n A young centre back with great potential to grow, who could provide a long-term solution for the LCB position. Lukeba<\/a> has made over 80 Bundesliga appearances in three seasons already, plus 12 Champions League games. Last season he completed over 90% of his passes, won half his aerial duels, and made 127 ball recoveries.<\/p>\n He\u2019s physical, fast, and comfortable carrying the ball forward, though aerial duels aren\u2019t quite his strongest suit yet. Leipzig value him at around \u20ac60 million and are in no hurry to sell, having just waved goodbye to Yan Diomande in a deal worth \u20ac125 million, and have Lukeba tied down to a long-term contract until 2029. Both Flick and Deco seem to like him most, but this looks a tough deal to complete.<\/p>\n SEVILLE, SPAIN – AUGUST 21: Natan of Real Betis reacts during the LaLiga EA Sports 2026\/27 match between Real Betis Balompie and Real Sociedad at Estadio La Cartuja on August 21, 2026 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Fran Santiago\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n The Catalans have reportedly held preliminary talks with Real Betis<\/a>, and he\u2019s valued at around \u20ac25-30 million<\/a>. He also checks a lot of the boxes the Blaugrana would be looking for in an LCB: Tall (6 feet 2 inches), fast (one of the fastest players in La Liga, with an average speed exceeding 33.5 km\/h), good on the ball, dominant in the air, and a front-footed, aggressive defender capable of playing in a high line system such as Hansi Flick\u2019s.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s where it gets interesting, though. Rodri\u2019s arrival has already eased some of Barca\u2019s defensive worries. He\u2019s a world-class midfielder who can drop deep, control the tempo, and take pressure off our centre backs. But let\u2019s be honest, he\u2019s a midfielder solving a midfield problem. He\u2019s not going to win headers in his own box or make that last-ditch tackle when everyone else has been beaten. And these are the exact moments where we\u2019ve been losing Champions League ties the last three seasons.<\/p>\n So now tell us what you think! Do Barcelona need to sign another center-back? If yes, who?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every year it feels the same. Barcelona reach the semi-finals or quarter-finals of the Champions League, play some…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":825799,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[49043,13272,403,99],"class_list":["post-825798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-barcelona-transfer-rumors-news","tag-cant-del-blog-barcelona-opinion","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=825798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825798\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/825799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=825798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=825798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=825798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gettyimages-2291569751.jpg\"\/)
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