For Barça coach Hansi Flick, there is no doubt that the club’s main priority during the summer transfer window will be to strengthen the full-back positions, as he insists on signing new players for these two positions. Despite the good performances of both Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde this season, neither of them faces real competition in their positions, and the German coach does not have a reliable alternative for either of them.
Therefore, according to information from the Spanish newspaper “El Nacional,” Flick has asked Joan Laporta and Deco to sign players to strengthen these two positions. On the left side, several opportunities have been given to Gerard Martin, but he has not been able to fully convince the coach, which could open the way for him to be loaned out or even transferred. Among the names that the club’s management is considering to strengthen this area are Alvaro Carreras from Benfica and Alejandro Grimaldo from Bayer Leverkusen.
It is also not ruled out to give confidence to one of the promising La Masia players, who has great potential, and the club believes he has the ability to succeed with the first team. We are talking about Joffrey Torrents, who impressed everyone with his performances in the youth team and has managed to overcome the serious knee injury he suffered last year. He is expected to soon be part of the reserve team dynamic and will undergo a pre-season with the first team in an attempt to convince Flick.
As for the right-back position, Hector Fort is one of the first players who could soon leave Barcelona. He has started only two matches, and in both cases, he was a substitute for Jules Kounde, as happened in the last match against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. In the youth team, there is currently no player ready to step in as a substitute, which makes the signing of a new player almost certain. The names that have been mentioned include Marc Bubel from Almeria or Vanderson from Monaco.
Until the end of the season, Flick will have to continue relying on his current options in the full-back positions, but he hopes to avoid injuries to Balde and Kounde, the main full-backs, especially as the most important part of the season begins.