Barcelona sporting director Deco revealed the club has no plans of signing reinforcements during the winter transfer window, though the option has not been entirely ruled out.
The defending Spanish champions have yet to recreate their dominant form of the 2024–25 season, much in part due to injuries and the departure of Iñigo Martínez. Barcelona trail Real Madrid in the La Liga standings and were mere seconds away from suffering three straight defeats to kick off October.
Glaring weaknesses in defense and a lack of depth at striker give the Catalans a blueprint of which upgrades to potentially acquire come January, but Deco is not sounding any alarm bells just yet.
“I don’t see us having to go to the winter transfer market for the moment,” the sporting director told the media after his speech at the Assembly of Delegates.
“The season will tell you a lot. No player has asked to leave, and that hasn’t conditioned the market for us. [But] we’ll be there whenever we need to.
“If something gets out of hand or if we need or want a player—I won’t name names—we’ll be attentive,” Deco finished.
Barcelona Linked With Robert Lewandowski Replacements
Even if Barcelona stick to Deco’s proposed strategy and have a quiet winter, the club will still need to find a successor to Robert Lewandowski. The 37-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the season and there have been no moves made to offer him an extension.
The Poland international’s age, along with his injury history as of late, likely signals his time in Catalonia is coming to an end.
According to SPORT, Barcelona have Juventus’ Dušan Vlahović, Levante’s Etta Eyong and Hoffenheim’s Fisnik Asllani on a shortlist of potential successors for Lewandowski. Any deals for the forwards, though, would come in the summer.
The more pressing issue for Barcelona is acquiring a center back. The loss of Martínez has left a gaping hole in Hansi Flick’s backline, one that the German boss has yet to properly fill alongside 18-year-old Pau Cubarsí.
Should the Catalans’ defense remain vulnerable in the lead-up to the holiday break, Deco and Barcelona might be forced to focus their efforts on signing a defensive reinforcement this winter.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Attentive’—Barcelona Chief Confirms Unexpected January Transfer Strategy .