Although Barcelona recently spent £48 million on Brazilian striker Neymar, the club feel that they need to sign a central defender this summer and that is seen as Barca’s top priority.
The humiliating 7-0 aggregate defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League highlighted Barcelona’s frailties at the back and manager Tito Vilanova will look to address that problem by signing a top quality central defender. Here are 10 defenders who have been linked with Barcelona this summer.
David Luiz- Chelsea
The Brazilian’s future at Chelsea has been the subject of a lot of speculation already this summer, with boss Jose Mourinho not thought to be a fan of Luiz. While Luiz can be brilliant going forward he can also cause problems at the back because of his tendency to try and get forward. This has caused many high profile mistakes and Mourinho is looking for a more solid central defender as he begins his second spell at Chelsea. This has led to reports that Luiz is going to be leaving Stamford Bridge this summer and Barcelona are seen as a possible destination.
While Luiz’s tendency to try and move the ball out of defence is seen as a weakness by Mourinho, it is seen as a strength at Barcelona, with the clubs centre backs needing to be comfortable on the ball in order to move it out of defence. The club were interested in Luiz last summer but the move fell through and Luiz remained at Chelsea. It appears that Barcelona are back for Luiz this summer but they will have competition from French champions Paris St Germain. The club want to partner Luiz with Thiago Silva as they look to try and win the Champions League. Luiz has also reportedly been talking about PSG with his Brazilian international team mates. Chelsea will be willing to let Luiz leave for £30 million.
Thiago Silva- Paris St Germain
Barcelona tried to sign the strong Brazilian centre back last summer but Silva decided instead to make a big money move to Paris St Germain. The defender has had a successful season in Paris, helping the club to win their first Ligue 1 title since 1994. However, Silva is reportedly unhappy at PSG because manager Carlo Ancelotti is set to leave the club in order to take over at Real Madrid. Ancelotti was a big reason why Silva chose PSG over Barcelona and the defender said that the departure of Ancelotti will affect him.
This has lead to Barcelona being linked again with Silva and the defender is thought to be considering a move. The only problem with a possible move at the moment is Silva’s wages, which Barca are not prepared to pay. The defender will have to take a pay cut if he wishes to move to the Nou Camp and it could all come down to how much Silva wants to play for Barcelona.
Branislav Ivanovic- Chelsea
Ivanovic is another Chelsea defender that Barcelona have been heavily linked with. The defender has been at Chelsea since 2008 and has been an important part of many Chelsea teams. The defender was recently a Chelsea hero, scoring the winning goal in the Europa League final against Benfica. He is seen as a strong and combative defender and would form an interesting partnership with current Barcelona central defender Gerard Pique. Whether Chelsea will want to let Ivanovic go is another matter.
Chelsea may want to keep hold of Ivanovic as he is exactly the type of centre back that Jose Mourinho likes but if Barcelona offer Chelsea big money they may decide to sell the former Lokomotiv Moscow defender. Reports have suggested that Barcelona may bid £40 million for a double transfer of Ivanovic and David Luiz. This may appeal to Mourinho, who could then use that money in order to fund his purchases in the summer. Having said that, the Portuguese coach in unlikely to let both Luiz and Ivanovic leave, with Luiz the more likely to be shown the door at Stamford Bridge.
Thomas Vermaelen- Arsenal
The Belgian defender was once one of the most highly rated central defenders in the Premier League, forming the cornerstone of Arsene Wenger’s side at Arsenal. However, the defender has had a frustrating season with the Gunners, with injuries and poor form keeping him out of the side. He has lost his starting place in central defence to Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny and is believed to be interested in a move away from Arsenal this summer, to look for more first team opportunities. Barcelona are monitoring the situation involving Vermaelen and could look to move for the defender if he signals his intent to leave the Gunners. With Vermaelen’s current standing at Arsenal, Barcelona could sign the Belgian for a relatively small amount and that would encourage Barca as they have already spent £48 million on Neymar.
However, Vermaelen is still Arsenal’s club captain and if Arsene Wenger thinks the Belgians form will return, he may deicide to keep a hold of him.
Vincent Kompany- Manchester City
The Manchester City captain is seen as one of the best centre backs in the world at the moment. The defender is a leader and is physically strong and very brave, meaning he is very difficult to get past. Although he had a poor start to the season, many due to injury, Kompany got better as the season progressed and was soon back to his commanding self. It is these characteristics that have seen him linked with a move to Barcelona. Kompany is also very comfortable on the ball, an attribute that is needed for any Barcelona centre back.
His strong physique would also be a commanding presence in the six yard box, where Barcelona have let in a lot of goals during the season. However, Barca look set to be disappointed in their pursuit of Kompany. He recently stated his intention to stay at Manchester City and win back the Premier League title. Although he is flattered by interest from Barcelona, a move to Catalonia looks off the cards this summer, meaning Barca are going to have to look at other options.
Joleon Lescott- Manchester City
Barcelona’s alternative to Vincent Kompany could come from Manchester City in the form of English centre back Joleon Lescott. The defender is a surprise target for Barcelona and could make a move to the Nou Camp to solve their defensive problems. Lescott formed an excellent partnership with Vincent Kompany during Manchester City’s title winning season and was one of the first names on the team sheet.
That seemed to change last season, when Roberto Mancini often left the England international on the bench, instead favouring young defender Matija Nastasic. This has unsettled Lescott, who sees no reason why he wasn’t a regular last season and the defender could be on his way out of the Etihad this summer. Barcelona would definitely interest Lescott but it would be a surprise if the central defender was the only defensive signing Barca make this summer.
Marquinhos- Roma
Barcelona are known to favour youth over signing players who are already at their peak. They may decide to do exactly the same with their pursuit of a new centre back and are interested in signing Brazilian centre Marquinhos from Roma. The defender is only 18 and signed for Roma last summer. He quickly established himself in the Roma defence and was one of their star players during last season. The way he established himself so quickly at Roma has seen him linked with a host of clubs, including Barcelona.
Signing a player who will only get better will certainly appeal to the clubs ideology but many believe that the club need a bit more of an experienced player to help them out at the back and that could rule Marquinhos out. The club may still try and sign the defender and let him get better before giving him lots of first team opportunities. The players price tag may put Barcelona off however, as Roma are unlikely to accept anything less than 30 million euros for one of their most prized players.
Mats Hummels- Borussia Dortmund
The German defender has become one of the most highly rated central defenders in Europe following several successful seasons at Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund. He has also become the cornerstone of the German national teams defence and Barcelona’s fans recently said in an online poll that they would like to see the defender at Barcelona next season.
Hummels is strong and combative, something that Barcelona are looking for in a centre back. However, it is unlikely that Hummels will come cheap, with Dortmund not wanting to let anymore of their players leave after seeing play-maker Mario Gotze move to Bayern Munich. Barcelona would have to put in a huge bid for Hummels if Dortmund are likely to accept it but the club currently don’t have a lot of money having recently signed Neymar. However, a player like Hummels would certainly improve Barcelona’s team and sort out their leaky defence, so paying a lot for such a talented defender maybe worth it.
Laurent Koscielny- Arsenal
The French centre back has been linked with a move to Barcelona in the past few days and club could make a bid of around £20 million for him. Koscielny has got better and better during his time Arsenal. He used to be quite accident prone, making defensive mistakes that would lead to costly goals for opposition teams. However, Koscielny improved massively last season and formed an excellent central defensive partnership with German Per Mertesacker.
Koscielny’s form has prompted interest from Barcelona, who see the improving Frenchman as an ideal candidate to sort out the clubs defensive problems. The move for Koscielny could be because Barca have been put off the asking prices of Mats Hummels and Thiago Silva. Arsenal won’t want to let Koscielny go this summer, especially as the player has started to show some good form for the club but if Barcelona make a big enough offer, the Gunners maybe tempted to accept. Koscielny has also recently been quoted as saying he will leave the Gunners if they don’t start winning silverware. Should Arsenal sign some quality players this summer, Koscielny may well be persuaded to stay at the Emirates for at least one more season. Barcelona may face competition from Bayern Munich for the French defenders signature.
Daniel Agger- Liverpool
Agger has been one of Liverpool’s most important players over the past few years, with many seeing the potential in the Dane. However, fantastic performances have often been met with long injury lay-offs. This hasn’t put Barcelona off Agger as they see the potential in him to become a top quality centre back and have highlighted him as a possible answer to their defensive problems. Agger is strong and could form a good partnership Gerard Pique.
The players distribution is also a plus, with Agger being comfortable with the ball and being able to start attacks, something that Barca coach Tito Vilanova will appreciate. Barcelona may also be able to sign Agger for a relatively low amount. Reports suggest that Barca could be set to bid £12.7 million for the defender and Liverpool may well accept the offer due to Agger’s injury problems. The defender was linked with a move to the Nou Camp last summer and Barcelona could be back for him again this summer, hopefully with more success this time.