Barcelona prioritise the signing of a new right-back, Manchester City outcast an option

Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of ‘will they, won’t they’ with regard to Barcelona’s plans of signing a new right-back in the summer.

There have been some outlets claiming that the position is not a priority for the Catalans before next season and they plan to continue with Jules Kounde and Sergi Roberto if no player is brought in.

However, there have been other reports who state that after Kounde’s disappointing display against Rayo Vallecano, Barça recognise the need for a specialist right-back and are treating it as a priority for the summer.

And, now, Ferran Correas of the SPORT has reaffirmed the latter stance, stating that Barcelona have indeed ‘activated’ the signing of a new right-back in the summer and will regard the situation as a priority.

Since Dani Alves’ departure in 2016, the Blaugrana have had problems in the right-back spot and they have been unable to find a proper solution. While Kounde has performed well to a large extent this season, the performance against Rayo showed that he is not entirely comfortable in the position.

Indeed, reports suggest that Kounde has already informed Xavi that he wants to return to his preferred centre-back slot next season. Hence, the signing of a new right-back is now back near the top of the agenda at Spotify Camp Nou.

One of the names that is the most liked within the Barcelona offices is that of Manchester City ace Joao Cancelo, who is on loan at Bayern Munich. The Bavarians will not sign him permanently in the summer while Pep Guardiola does not want him back at the Etihad next season.

So, he will have to find a new destination in the summer, although financially a move could be challenging to pull off for Barcelona.

The same holds true for Juan Foyth of Villarreal, who is the preferred target of manager Xavi. However, his €54 million release clause makes it almost impossible for the La Liga leaders to contemplate his signing.

The third option on the radars is Borussia Dortmund veteran Thomas Meunier. The Belgian is understood to be keen on the move and has even informed his club that he wants to leave in the summer.

It remains to be seen who Barcelona end up signing, but as of now, there will be active efforts made to reinforce the right-back position come summer.