FC Barcelona is having a very good season on the pitch and currently sits at the top of the league. The Catalans have started 2025 with plenty of goals and strong results, which has taken them to the top of the table, as well as the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and the last sixteen of the Champions League. Despite Barcelona’s strong form on the pitch, things are getting complicated behind the scenes.
Deco is working flat out preparing for next season, both in terms of renewals and monitoring various options to reinforce the squad in the next summer market, while following the 1:1 rule, meaning they must also consider necessary departures. However, this rule remains uncertain. In the last few hours, RAC1 reported that it is not guaranteed that Barça will be able to abide by the 1:1 rule on July 1—that is, that for every euro of salary savings, another can be spent. This uncertainty arises because LaLiga has questioned one of Barça’s two VIP seat operations (the one carried out with New Era Visionary Group from the United Arab Emirates) in its allegations sent to the Spanish Sports Council regarding the registration of Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor. Furthermore, the club will not return to Camp Nou within the timeframe initially planned, meaning the projected revenue for their return to the refurbished Spotify Camp Nou will not be met.
Barça Needs a Right-Back
One of the positions Barça wants to strengthen is right-back. In that role, they have an undisputed starter and a backup who doesn’t always have the coach’s trust or the level required for big games. The current first-choice right-back is Jules Koundé, who is becoming one of the best in the world in his position and is indispensable to Hansi Flick. In fact, as revealed a few days ago, the club’s plan is to extend the French defender’s contract until 2030 before the end of the current season.
However, Koundé has already had several issues with punctuality this season, something that Barça’s coach—who is very strict on discipline—does not tolerate. Just last Monday against Rayo Vallecano, in a match where Barça took the lead, Koundé was not in the starting eleven as punishment for arriving late to a team video session. Flick did not forgive the mistake and handed the starting spot to Héctor Fort. The young academy player could have left during the winter transfer window due to a lack of playing time, but he refused to depart despite being a substitute. The fact is that the 18-year-old has only played a few minutes, but as a lifelong Barça fan, being part of the first team is his dream, and he doesn’t want to give it up.
Daniel Muñoz: A Complicated Option
With this in mind, FC Barcelona is scouring the market in search of a quality right-back, and one name on their list is one of the Premier League’s surprise players—Colombian defender Daniel Muñoz. According to reports from Colombia, specifically Antena 2, the right-back is on Barça’s radar for next summer. The Blaugrana will, however, face competition, as the same source claims both Manchester City and Chelsea are also interested. Ekrem Konur previously hinted at this interest in a post on his X profile (formerly Twitter) on December 30, stating: “Crystal Palace’s Colombian right-back Daniel Muñoz is attracting interest from Chelsea, Manchester City, and Barcelona.”.
Sky Sports recently confirmed this, citing the player’s impressive performances. “My dream is to play for Barcelona. As a child, my idol was always Ronaldinho when he played for Barcelona. In my youth teams, I never played at full-back—I was always a winger and admired players who could change games. Ronaldinho was the player I always watched. When I transitioned to full-back, I studied Dani Alves,” he said in 2020.