The position of Gerard Pique is the only solid defensive option at Barcelona, while amongst the others, having Thomas Vermaelen never really played out for the Catalan club. Samuel Umtiti, the other Barcelona man is full of potential and is now a regular starter for the Catalan side after replacing the ageing Javier Mascherano at Nou Camp, having been brought in from French side Lyon last season.
The youngster impressed largely last year and kept pushing for a first-team spot. This season, he has become a first-team starter and has been impressive in his outings so far. The talented centre-back has a bright future ahead of him.
As for the fourth centre back in their team, it is none other than the Argentine Javier Mascherano. He moved to Nou Camp in 2010. At Barcelona, he converted from a holding midfielder to a centre back. He has gone on to make over 300 appearances for the Catalan club and won a host of major trophies including four La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies.
At Barcelona, Mascherano took his time to become regular as it was difficult to replace the trusted pairing of Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol but with Puyol’s retirement, Mascherano became a regular and has cemented his place ever since until this season.
With the Argentine not getting any younger at 33 and with Barcelona having brought in replacements in the form Samuel Umtiti, his time at Nou Camp may well be over. Such a situation has tempted Mascherano to rethink his position at the club and he may well be on his way before his contract expires in 2019.
Therefore, the above circumstances leave Barcelona short on first team defenders with only two solid options. Such a situation has led to reports believing that Barcelona are chasing Athletic Bilbao centre-back, Aymeric Laporte.
The deal could have been made easier as current Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde was in charge of Athletic Bilbao during Laporte’s rise and could have swayed the defender to move to Catalonia but in a surprising turn of events, he has decided to go against the deal. He does not wish to raid his former club for their top players, a touch of class from the Barcelona boss, rarely seen in modern football.
However, should the player himself be keen on the move, things can be very different. The 23-year old has a £58 million release clause, an amount not large by any standards for Barcelona.
Laporte has been a trusted defender in La Liga and having a player of his calibre and his experience in Spanish football could be an ideal deal for the Catalan club.
