Barcelona director Deco looking to sign player with specific skillset to strengthen squad in the summer: Reports

Barcelona are reportedly looking to sign a center-back as the replacement for Inigo Martinez, who has joined Al-Nassr. The club's sporting director, Deco, is working on finding the best available left-footed defender under the age of 23.

According to a report in SPORT, Barcelona are looking to sign a defender who can be registered with the Barca Atletic, and then play in the first team under Hansi Flick.

The Spanish publication claim that Deco has already got a list of players, and has begun talks. However, they are keeping the names under wraps, as they also have FFP regulations to worry about this summer.

Flick wanted to sign a center-back this summer who could operate as a full-back when needed. The club have abandoned those plans following Eric Garcia's pre-season performances, while also going ahead with the plans with Gerard Martin at centre-back and promoting Jofre Torrents.

The departure of Martinez came as a shock to all at Barcelona, as the Spaniard played 46 games under the German manager last season. However, he opted to use the clause in his contract to join Al-Nassr on a free transfer, freeing up €14 million in the wage bill.

The departure, along with Marc-Andre ter Stegen's injury layoff, has helped the Catalan side register Marcus Rashford and Joan Garcia for the season with La Liga.

Inigo Martinez on his decision to leave Barcelona and join Al-Nassr

Inigo Martinez spoke to Onda Vasca last week and claimed that the announcement to leave stunned everyone at the club. The defender added that the decision was mainly because of the wages offered to him by Al-Nassr and said (via Barca Universal):

"Many were caught off guard. And apart from the fact that the fans liked me, I generated that illusion. In the end, I caught them suddenly leaving, but these are things in football, and nowadays we are used to changes from one day to the next. I would have thought about continuing if I had had more years with Barça."

"Because my salary was important. It's not that it was a low salary, but we were comfortable. Whether you want to come to this country or not. It is hard to make this decision; not only dragging my wife, but also my children, everything changes. Maybe I would have thought about it more, yes."

Inigo Martinez left Barcelona on a free transfer two years after joining the club. He won three trophies during his time at the club: the league title, the Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa de España.