A smiling man with a microphone in his ear in front of the Valencia C.F. crest.

Barça thrashes Valencia and Laporta finalizes the signing: Confirmed, he arrives this week

The German coach wants a player to complement the team in a position

The winter transfer market is about to close, and Barça still hasn't managed to finalize the signings it had planned to strengthen itself. Despite the efforts of the sports management and the clear intentions to improve the team for the second half of the season, the negotiations remain complicated.

The main priority for Barcelona remains the signing of Marcus Rashford, a forward from Manchester United, who could give a significant boost to the attack. Barça is confident that, in the remaining ten days of the market, it can finalize this signing to provide the team with a player who competes with Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, and Lewandowski. However, this operation depends on several departures to free up economic space and make the necessary investment.

However, the operation is not free of difficulties. The high salary of Marcus Rashford and the competition from other major European clubs complicate the possibility of Barcelona closing the deal in this winter market. However, if Barça manages to finalize his signing, it would be a great reinforcement for the second half of the season.

Flick's Latest Request

Nevertheless, the signing of a forward is not Barça's only priority in this market. Hansi Flick, according to "El Nacional.cat," has also requested the addition of a left-back. Alejandro Balde is the undisputed starter on the left flank, but Gerard Martín, the substitute, hasn't shown the same level and hasn't managed to be a solid alternative.

Soccer players from two teams compete for the ball in a match.
Alejandro Balde in the match against Betis | @FCBarcelona

The priority remains the signing of Marcus Rashford, but Barça is also considering the possibility of incorporating a left-back in this winter market if possible. The lack of a quality substitute in that position could become a problem as the competitions progress.

The Favorite and the Alternatives

In this regard, Flick and Deco have identified several options for the left-back, but the favorite is Alphonso Davies. Davies is one of the best left-backs in the world, and his arrival at Barça would be a great reinforcement for the team. However, the signing of Davies in January seems almost impossible due to the player's contractual situation.

Although Davies's contract with Bayern is ending, the German club has no intention of letting him leave yet, which makes his signing in this winter market very complicated. Despite this difficulty, Barcelona remains hopeful of being able to sign Davies in the future.

Given the impossibility of signing Davies in this market, Barça is considering other more affordable options to strengthen the left-back position. One of them is Alex Valle, who is currently on loan at Celtic of Glasgow and has shown good performance in the Scottish league during his loan there. While Alex Valle doesn't have the experience of a player of Alphonso Davies's caliber, his arrival could be a more affordable short-term solution.