Barcelona's Pursuit of Rodri and Julián Álvarez Amid Araujo Exit
Barcelona’s rebuild has hit its sharpest point. The clock is running, the gaps are obvious, and Deco knows exactly what he wants over the next 48 hours: two elite midfield and attacking signings in from Manchester City, and a commanding centre-back to replace Ronald Araujo, who is heading to Liverpool.
According to Catalan outlet Sport, Barça are working against a Wednesday deadline to land Spain international Rodri from City, a move that would instantly reshape Hansi Flick’s midfield. The club are also accelerating talks for Argentina forward Julián Álvarez, with hopes that deal can be wrapped up within the same tight window.
Two statement transfers. One defensive hole still gaping.
Araujo out, the green light for a leader at the back
Araujo’s confirmed move to Liverpool has done more than weaken Barcelona’s back line. It has forced a decision. Deco has authorised the signing of a “world-class” centre-back, and conversations are already underway with several candidates.
The timing is brutal. Three weeks remain before the window closes, and the club want that final defensive piece in place before the end of the month. No late scramble, no stop-gap solution if they can help it.
Inside the club, there is at least one internal card on the table. Academy defender Álvaro Cortés is being treated as a genuine alternative, but only if the market fails to present a truly compelling option. The message is clear: the badge alone will not earn anyone a place in this back line.
For now, Flick will start the season with Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Andreas Christensen and Eric García as his central options. The German coach also sees García as a potential left-back, a flexible piece who can mirror what Jules Koundé has offered on the opposite flank. It gives Barça options. It doesn’t replace Araujo.
That is where the market comes in.
Cristian Romero: the preferred, painful option
On Deco’s list, one name sits above the rest: Cristian Romero.
The Tottenham and Argentina defender is viewed inside Barcelona as the ideal profile to anchor the defence – aggressive, front-foot, and already proven at the highest level. But ideal rarely comes cheap, and this one is no exception.
Sources in Argentina insist there is no agreement in place at this stage. Romero has interest from Arsenal and Inter Milan, while talks with Atlético Madrid are described as “very advanced”. Tottenham, for their part, are holding firm: they want a little over €40 million and are refusing to entertain any loan formula.
The player’s preference, though, is clear. Romero would like Barcelona. His camp has been fully briefed on which Barça players could be moved on to make room and money for him. Yet for all the mutual interest, no decisive step has been taken.
Every day that passes tightens the squeeze. Delay this too long, and Barcelona risk watching their top defensive target walk into someone else’s dressing room.
Laporte: an attractive name wrapped in complications
Aymeric Laporte is the other high-profile defender firmly in the conversation. Now at Athletic Bilbao, the Spain international has been strongly proposed as a solution, with his agents suggesting that his release clause is relatively low.
Athletic see it very differently. The Basque club categorically deny that Laporte can be prised away cheaply, and Barcelona are wary of walking into a legal or political minefield.
Relations between the two clubs are already strained after last summer’s failed attempt to sign Nico Williams. Any move for Laporte would need to be clean, clear and priced to the euro before Barça even consider putting an official offer on the table.
Right now, nothing about this operation looks straightforward. Every path towards Laporte seems to come with another obstacle.
Flick and Deco’s hard line on new signings
As the window edges towards its decisive stretch, Barcelona are being bombarded with proposals. Premier League clubs, in particular, are pushing players who could leave on loan late in the market.
Flick and Deco have drawn a hard line. They will not fill shirts for the sake of it. Any signing must arrive on terms that make financial sense and be good enough to compete immediately for a starting role. No passengers, no short-term patches that block the pathway of their own talents.
Rodri and Julián Álvarez would transform the spine and sharpen the attack. A signing like Romero or Laporte would restore authority to a defence stripped of its most imposing figure.
The plan is bold. The margin for error is thin. With the season looming and the window shrinking, Barcelona now have to prove they can still close the kind of deals that define an era, not just a summer.
