Hansi Flick has started the season with firm decisions and a competitive locker room. The club, meanwhile, is preparing scenarios for a winter window that could prove decisive for the defensive structure of the first team.
The sporting department is working with several short-term hypotheses. The management, led by Joan Laporta and Deco, is studying departures and arrivals with the goal of keeping performance and financial health.
Urgency after Iñigo Martínez's departure and the distribution of minutes
Iñigo Martínez's move to Al Nassr in August left a specific gap in the left-sided rotation of the backline. The deal was closed with a mutually agreed contract termination, with no transfer fee, and a reduction in the club's wage bill.
Flick has tried different duos in the first two matchdays, with Cubarsí as a growing reference and rotations around him. In Levante, for example, Araujo and Cubarsí didn't start together, a sign of real competition for the position.
The movement of pieces opens up a sensitive scenario. The club assumes that January requires clear hierarchy in the center of the defense to face the decisive stretch of the season.
The name that shapes the market: current situation of Ronald Araújo
The possibility that carries the most weight in the planning is Ronald Araújo. The Uruguayan renewed his contract in January until 2031 and keeps an estimated market value of €35 million, figures that reinforce his status as a strategic asset.
Despite his status, his league start alternated between starting and the bench, something unusual in previous campaigns. That variation has fueled internal conversations about the optimal fit alongside Cubarsí and the advisability of listening to offers.
In the summer, there was already noise about temporary clauses and proposals from Italy. In the end, the club defended his continuity. The situation isn't identical, but it illustrates why January will be closely watched.
The profile Deco is looking for: targets in Premier League and Serie A
Deco and his team are monitoring elite center-backs with a clean exit and left-footed or mixed profile, capable of keeping a high line. In the Premier League, the club has followed Murillo and Marc Guéhi, the latter free to negotiate with foreign clubs starting January 1 if he doesn't renew.
In Serie A, Alessandro Bastoni fits the left-footed profile, open-field reading, and tight passing, although his cost would be high. Recent reports place him among the priorities if there is a major move in January or summer.
Fit with Flick: what the "1" needs and how January shapes things
Flick's model requires a center-back capable of defending 44 yds. (40 m) behind him and correcting on the flank. That demand calls for combining a dominant defender in duels with another more adept at building from the back, balancing the young Cubarsí. The choice, whether absolute continuity with Araújo or a measured replacement, must keep the high press without sacrificing defensive rest.
January presents itself as a surgical window. Barcelona can negotiate favorable terms with players out of contract outside England, while deciding whether to capitalize on a sale. The goal is to reach the European stretch with clarity, fresh legs, and a stable structure around the starting goalkeeper.