Barça is aiming for a quiet summer in terms of signings. Not only because of its usual problems with the salary cap, but also because, given the great performance of the current squad, Deco is more focused on finalizing pending renewals than on looking for reinforcements, which will come, but are not the priority for the Azulgrana team at the moment.
Under the baton of newly re-signed Hansi Flick, Barça has rediscovered its best form, with players such as Pedri, De Jong, and Raphinha rediscovering their best form and Lamine Yamal emerging as a star in his own right. There are other names that have worked harder in the shadows but are indispensable in the German’s scheme, such as Iñigo Martínez, Eric García, and Jules Koundé, who had played every game until his injury.
Jules Koundé, indispensable
“He’s key for us. He gives a lot in a game, he gives us stability, he defends very well, he never complains if he has to defend two against one because Lamine unbalances the opposition up front. You have to keep players like this as long as possible.” “He’s key for us. He gives a lot in a game, he gives us stability, he defends very well, he never complains if he has to defend two against one because Lamine ”He’s key for us. He gives a lot in a game, he gives us stability, he defends very well, he never complains if he has to defend two against one because Lamine unbalances the opposition up front. You have to keep players like this for as long as possible.“ up front. You have to keep players like this for as long as possible,” said Deco in a recent interview about the full-back.
No reinforcements for the full-back
A few days ago, there was talk of a decision that Deco confirmed in one of his recent interviews. When asked if they were looking for full-backs in the transfer market, he was emphatic in his response: “We’re not looking,” he said. Both Alejandro Balde and Jules Koundé have been injured in the final stretch of the competition, and the alternatives used by Hansi Flick in their absence have convinced the club that it will not go to the market and will keep Gerard Martín at left back; it also has several options for the right wing.
Although Héctor Fort is the natural replacement for Jules Koundé, the young player has not been convincing in big games, and Hansi Flick’s alternative has been to move Eric García to that position, where he has performed outstandingly in the main games of the season, covering for a player like Jules Koundé, who has performed at a superhuman level playing absolutely everything for Barça and the French national team, and was the hero of the Copa del Rey.
Héctor Fort with options to leave
However, Héctor Fort’s future at Barça is unclear. The youth player knows that Eric García is now the preferred option at full-back and that he will continue to have few opportunities, so his future is up in the air. Mundo Deportivo reports that, if he wants to leave, he will not be short of options, starting with PSV, which, according to the aforementioned source, has set its sights on the La Masía player. Everything will depend on the talks between Flick and Deco at the end of the season this Sunday. That is when the future of the squad will be decided, which will always be marked by financial constraints, so the sale of the right-back cannot be ruled out. The player has a contract until 2026.