Barca's 2026 transfer stories: No.9's doubt & Defender's dilemma

While the January window looks set to be quiet, this does not mean Barcelona are not ready to do business next year — because they really need to. There are several positions the club will need to bolster, most likely in summer.

The most urgent one will be the No 9 spot. Robert Lewandowski’s contract runs out in June, and Barca sources — speaking anonymously, like all those cited here, as they did not have permission to comment — say the most likely scenario is the 37-year-old not signing an extension.

Then, if Marcus Rashford ends up leaving after his loan, which is the most probable scenario by the looks of things now, Barca could be after a replacement for him, too.

They will also take a look at the centre-backs available. Barca’s defensive performances this season, as well as their radical high line, has been put in the spotlight on multiple occasions.

In the summer, Hansi Flick lost his most-trusted defender in Inigo Martinez, who was allowed to leave on a free transfer to join Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, just as Barca were about to start the new season. No replacement came in, and that is seen inside the club as a reason behind the drop in defensive performances this term.

Andreas Christensen will reach the end of his contract next summer too — and there has been no sign of a potential extension. The Denmark international, 29, has struggled to find consistency, having spent long spells of the past two seasons injured. Christensen is on a significant wage right now, figures that Barca could not afford for a rotation player in their squad.

If he leaves, there might be a case to make that Barca won’t only need one centre-back, but maybe two. We will see.

Are they looking at any players already?

This is all with next summer in mind, rather than January, but the standout candidate as Barcelona’s next striker is Julian Alvarez. This is Laporta’s dream signing for the position. However, the Catalan club see it as being very difficult to pull off.

Alvarez is considered a perfect fit for Flick’s high-pressing system, but he has a contract until 2030 with Atletico Madrid, who have no intention of selling their best player. Given Barca’s financial situation, it is not easy to see how they can afford the Argentina forward.

There have also been reports in local media about Harry Kane. Barca sources told The Athletic there has been no progress or move made by them regarding his signing, and insist it is too early to be speaking about that given there will be presidential elections at the club before next summer.

For the centre-back role, no strong candidates have emerged yet. Barcelona’s sporting direction would ideally look for a left-footed player in order to give Flick different profiles to choose from. They had been monitoring Sporting CP’s Portugal international Goncalo Inacio, who will be entering the last 18 months of his deal with the club next year. But again, no significant move has been made so far.

Who will they be looking to sell?

The situation will be assessed closer to the summer, but there are some potential departures.

One of them is Ronald Araujo. The centre-back signed a long-term deal with the club in January 2025, but the Uruguay international has struggled on the pitch. Once tipped as the backbone of Barca’s future, he’s been heavily criticised in the club for bad performances in big European nights, which president Joan Laporta said was unfair. On Monday, Barcelona granted Araujo a leave of absence.

Another name is Marc Casado. He broke through to the first team last season in spectacular form, shining as Barca’s holding midfielder in big games such as the 4-1 win against Bayern Munich and the 4-0 victory against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, he now seems to have lost a big share of the trust Flick had in him.

What moves have they made already?

In terms of signings, not many. But they have secured a key piece in Flick’s plan for the foreseeable future with De Jong signing a contract extension.

The Netherlands international agreed a new three-year deal up until 2029, but most importantly it put an end to all the uncertainty around his place in the team.

De Jong has always been a player under the spotlight at Barcelona, but after Flick gave him the keys to midfield, alongside Pedri, he seems to have found his place at the club.