Barcelona B defender could be promoted to the first-team if French duo leave in January

With the January window almost upon us, transfer activity is expected to pick up at Barcelona in the coming weeks.

The Catalans are already close to completing the signing of Ferran Torres from Manchester City, while there could be at least another incoming before the winter window slams shut.

At the same time, there could be several exits from Camp Nou as well, as Xavi Hernandez & co. look to cash in on some of the unwanted members of the squad to free up some room on the wage bill.

Philippe Coutinho is one of the players that Barça remain intent on offloading in January. At the same time, French defensive duo Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti have also been made available for transfer.

Umtiti has been out of favour for quite some time now and has featured just once all season. Lenglet might have played a few games of late, but the ex-Sevilla ace will be allowed to leave should a reasonable offer come along, with Tottenham among the clubs interested.

Should the pair end up departing next month, Barcelona will be left without any left-footed centre-backs in the roster. Now, Gerard Romero is claiming that in that case, the Catalan giants could end up calling on B team defender Mika Marmol for the second half of the campaign.

The youngster has shown a lot of promise since joining La Masia in 2018. The 20-year-old has started each of the Barcelona B team’s 17 matches in the RFEF Primera Division, even chipping in with a goal.

Held in high regard by the club, the Spanish Under-20 international has also attracted interest from clubs across Europe, with Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla keeping tabs on him, according to Mundo Deportivo.

In Mika Marmol and Arnau Comas, Barça have a couple of young defensive prospects coming through who can step up to the first-team level if needed. Their services could very well be required, although the club would have to get rid of both Umtiti and Lenglet first.