Barcelona are planning a January loan move for Valencia defender Jeison Murillo as a temporary solution to their problems in the centre-back position, but hope to sign Ajax starlet Matthijs de Ligt in the summer.
Samuel Umtiti is currently sidelined with a knee problem and it is unclear when the France defender will be back in action, while Thomas Vermaelen picked up a calf injury in Sunday’s 5-0 win at Levante and will be out for around four weeks.
That means Barca have only two fit central defenders: Gerard Pique and summer signing Clement Lenglet. Bringing in a player as cover in January is therefore priority.
Coach Ernesto Valverde had said at the weekend that he may well make do with what he has, but Vermaelen’s injury means the Catalans are down to the bare bones and are unlikely to play three at the back again (as they against Levante) with both the Frenchman and the Belgian sidelined.
The Barca boss wants a player with experience in Europe and preferably La Liga after the club signed Yerry Mina last January, only to let the Colombian international leave for Everton in the summer as he struggled to adapt and made mistakes in the 5-4 loss at Levante where Barca lost their unbeaten record in the league.
With the wage bill at Camp Nou higher than any other club in Europe, money is tight at the moment and Barca will seek a loan move before looking to sign a permanent option in the summer.
Ajax's talented young defender De Ligt is their top target, but the Dutch international will not be available until the summer as his club prepare for the their Champions League last-16 tie with Real Madrid in the Champions League in February and March.
Barca want both De Ligt (above, left) and his club colleague Frenkie de Jong in the summer, but will face fierce competition for both the defender and the midfielder from a number of Europe’s elite clubs.
January, however, is set to be a quiet window for the Blaugrana and Murillo, who has fallen out of favour with Valencia coach Marcelino Garcia Toral, now looks like the most viable option as cover at the back.
The Colombian international is 26 and has played previously in La Liga with Granada, while he had a three-year spell at Inter Milan before moving to Valencia.
Barca have also considered Chelsea’s Denmark defender Andreas Christensen, who could also arrive in the summer if the Catalans cannot complete a deal for De Ligt.
