With the imminent start of La Liga, FC Barcelona has completed an intense transfer window. The arrivals of Roony Bardghji, Joan García, and Marcus Rashford —the latter on loan— have been the club's latest confirmed moves. Joan Laporta and Deco believe the squad is balanced, and now the priority is to register all pending players before the league debut against Mallorca.
In recent weeks, the sports department has evaluated different positions to strengthen, and one of them was right back.The heavy workload for Jules Koundé led the board to study options in the market. However, the focus is also on the departures of footballers who aren't in Flick's plans, such as Oriol Romeu, Iñaki Peña, and Héctor Fort.
Option ruled out in the transfer market
Among the names considered to strengthen right back, Andrei Ratiu was at one point a top target. The Romanian international, currently at Rayo Vallecano, is looking for a new destination and had been linked with several clubs, including Barça. The Madrid-based club is asking for at least €20 million to start any negotiations (20 million euros), a figure that has deterred all offers.
Laporta and Deco, who had previously shown interest in signing him, have decided not to move forward with this operation. The board believes that this investment doesn't fit into the current plan, especially after the latest evaluations by the coaching staff.
A Barça star gains importance at right back
The decision not to sign Andrei Ratiu is based on the performance shown by Eric García in preseason. The center-back, who has already played as a right back, has convinced Flick with his defensive reliability, good ball distribution, and ability to adapt to different phases of the game.
The German coach trusts that Eric can provide enough guarantees to give Koundé a rest when necessary. This way, Barça will start the season with the '24' as the main alternative at right back, without turning to the market to strengthen that position.