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There is a popular saying in football. The attack wins you games but the defense wins you titles. Barcelona's fate in the recently concluded campaign aligns with this notion.
Despite having Lionel Messi pulling the strings upfront, the Blaugrana's poor defense has repeatedly proved to be an obstacle. They went very close to winning the Liga title but a 2-1 defeat to Granada in April ended their title challenge.
The Catalans were also knocked out of the Champions League in embarrassing fashion with a 5-1 loss to Paris Saint Germain on aggregate.
Barcelona have been let down by their defense several times in the last few years, especially in crucial matches. If they want to compete for La Liga and the UEFA Champions League next season, they surely need to improve their options at the heart of defense.
The Blaugrana have already signed Eric Garcia from Manchester City this summer. But the Spaniard is just 20 years old and still has a lot to learn to succeed at the top level. Barcelona will know they need to sign a high-profile centre-back to help the team going forward.
To do this, they would need to cough up substantial amounts in transfer fees or negotiate by offering players in exchange.
Potential centre-back options for Barcelona
#3 Kalidou Koulibaly
Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly is a target for many big clubs in Europe. The 29-year-old has been linked with a move away from Napoli almost every summer in the last few years.
Koulibaly is fantastic at keeping opposition attackers at bay. He is a shrewd defender who excels at interceptions and tackles per game and is really effective at nullifying counter attacks.
According to Whoscored, he had an impressive tally of 72 tackles and 78 clearances for the Italians across Serie A and the Europa League last season.
The Senegalese uses his immense physicality to his advantage and does really well in aerial duels. He has a good sense of positioning, passes the ball impressively and feels comfortable in possession. These are qualities that would help him fit in at Barcelona.
It is believed Koulibaly has handed in a transfer request to Napoli. This could make things easier for Los Blaugrana to snap him up. As per Transfermarkt, the player has a market value of €48 million. Barcelona could bring the figure down by offering players in exchange.
#2 Mathijs De Ligt
It looks like Mathijs De Ligt and Barcelona are made for each other. The two parties were strongly linked during the summer of 2019 before Juventus jumped in to snatch the player. Just two years later, the opportunity is opening up again for De Ligt to become a Barca player.
The defender's move to Turin hasn't come out as hoped. He has spent more time on the bench than on the pitch since making his switch to Italy. Barca, meanwhile, are still considering what to do with Miralem Pjanic, who joined them from Juve last summer.
The midfielder was under-utilised by Ronald Koeman last season. He was granted only 619 minutes in La Liga last term with no goals or assists to his name. Max Allegri, who has returned to the dugout at the Allianz Stadium, is reportedly interested in sealing a return for the Bosnian.
It would be a win-win situation for both clubs if a swap deal can be pulled off involving both players. Given Barca's financial situation right now, this appears to be an ideal move.
De Ligt needs no introduction. He proved himself to the world during his time with Ajax, recording 127 appearances and bagging 13 goals and 7 assists. He continues to be a reliable figure for club and country.
The Dutchman made 27 Seria A appearances for Juve last season, recording a goal and an assist to his name. He is definitely an ideal option for Barca.
#1 Aymeric Laporte
One of the finest defenders in Europe at the moment, Manchester City centre-back Aymeric Laporte would greatly improve Barcelona's defence. The Spaniard's place in Pep Guardiola's starting line-up is under threat due to the powerful partnership of John Stones and Ruben Dias recently. This could force him to look for greener pastures elsewhere.
Laporte is a world-class centre-back who could easily cut it at Camp Nou. Barca's preference for a centre-back is to sign a left-footed one and the 27-year-old isn't only left-footed but also able to function as a left back.
This would give Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman more options, especially with Junior Firpo reportedly set to be offloaded this summer.
The player currently has a market value of €45 million as per Transfermarkt. That puts him within Barcelona's reach. With the Cityzens also reportedly interested in signing Roberto, it could make a lot of sense to pull off a swap deal.
Laporta is a brilliant ball-playing defender with decent passing ability, composure and solidity. As a player who represented Athletic Bilbao for many years, the defender already has enough experience to light things up in La Liga. It remains to be seen if Barcelona will eventually secure his signature.
Laporte had an impressive outing with Manchester City last term, scoring twice from 27 games as the Citizens ran riot on their way to winning the Premier League title and the Carling Cup.
