Barcelona plan to sell one senior defender this summer, three names shortlisted

Barcelona’s work in the summer transfer window will largely depend on how, and if they can offload players in time.

The goal is to raise enough money through player sales to be able to return to the 1:1 spending rule in La Liga, which will allow them to spend money on replacements.

While there are some clear-cut names that will likely leave the club in Clement Lenglet, Eric Garcia, Sergino Dest, and perhaps even Ansu Fati, Barcelona will need a bigger fish than these to really rake in the funds.

As such, Barcelona are considering the sale of one of their senior centre-backs. They already have five players in that position, and believe offloading one will not do too much damage to the squad.

Araujo, Cubarsi safe

According to a report published by SPORT, Barcelona are considering the sale of one of three centre-backs in the team, namely Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, and Inigo Martinez.

Inigo is an interesting addition to this list, having been brought in last summer on a free transfer. Soon 33, the Spaniard will not be able to bring in any transfer fees, if at all.

Kounde, on the other hand, is at the peak of his powers at 25 and has returned back to his best form as a right-back over the last month or so.

A fair few Premier League teams are interested in his signature, but the player does not want to leave.

Finally, Christensen has done an excellent job for the team playing as a holding midfielder over the last several weeks.

Christensen has done an excellent job as a 6. (Photo by ANDER GILLENEA/AFP via Getty Images)

He has also publicly claimed that he does not want to leave Barça, but will likely generate interest from a fair few elite teams in Europe in the summer.

Ronald Araujo and Pau Cubarsi are definitely safe, though. The Catalans count on them for the next decade, with the former expected to take over captaincy in a few years.

The Chadi Riad question

While Barcelona are considering selling a centre-back this summer, they are also eyeing a replacement in the form of Chadi Riad, who has done exceedingly well at Real Betis this season.

It will cost around €7 million to buy him back in the summer, and Barcelona believe they will be able to offload him for around €15-20 million on the back of his performances and his profile as a left-footed defender.