FC Barcelona still hasn't found the left-footed center-back capable of making people forget about Iñigo Martínez this season. The Basque player left for Arabia in the summer with Al Nassr, and Hansi Flick has tried multiple formulas with Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsí, Andreas Christensen, Eric García, and even Gerard Martín in the center of the defense, without obtaining convincing results so far.
Although Barça, at this point last season, had conceded the same number of goals in the League (9 in 8 matchdays), the team's offside trap is being broken with ease. The left side has been a headache, even more so when Alejandro Balde missed the entire month of September due to injury.
Cubarsí does not feel entirely comfortable on the left side, while Christensen still does not have enough playing time to be a starter. In that sense, the sports management led by Deco already has several names on the table thinking about reinforcing what, for the moment, seems to be the weak point of the defense.
Nico Schlotterbeck, a 'low cost' alternative that convinces Hansi Flick
One of the names that is strongly emerging on the Barça radar is that of Nico Schlotterbeck. The 25-year-old defender's contract with Borussia Dortmund ends in 2027, and he continues to stall on renewing with the German team.
Although he suffered a serious injury to his left knee at the beginning of the year, the player from Waiblingen has recovered his best form at the start of the 25/26 season with Dortmund. Nico, in addition to playing as a center-back, can also play without problems as a left-back, which would be a very valuable addition for a Barcelona that, for the moment, only has Gerard Martín as an alternative to Balde.
Valued at 40 million euros on 'Transfermarkt', Schlotterbeck could negotiate a transfer at a lower price as he enters his final year of contract. For Barça, investing 30-35 'kilos' in a defender with his experience and youth would be a sensible bet, as long as the German international agrees to negotiate a contract below 10 'kilos' net per year.
Gonçalo Inácio, possible 'hidden card' of Deco for the next summer market
If Schlotterbeck ultimately decides to renew with Dortmund or accept a more lucrative contract with another European giant, Deco also has Gonçalo Inácio on his radar. The Sporting CP center-back also has a contract expiring in 2027 and could leave the Lisbon team for around 35-40 million.
The Portuguese player turned 24 in August and already has 2 assists in 10 matches this season with the 'lions'. Like Nico, the player from Almada can occupy several positions in defense and even in the center of the field, since he has experience as a pivot and left wing-back.
However, being a Sporting youth player, he will likely decide to renew before agreeing to negotiate with other teams, with the aim of ensuring his club a high income from a sale. Inácio debuted in the Portuguese first division in 2020 and has accumulated 21 goals and 14 assists in 223 official matches.
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