Barcelona's defensive injuries have pushed Pedro Porro back into the conversation, but the club is still not close to a move. Barcelona face next Saturday's match against Alavés with Jules Koundé completely ruled out, and Eric García plus Xavi Espart also unavailable.
Barcelona's defensive shortage
The immediate problem is depth. [Hansi Flick] has only [Joao Cancelo], Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martín and Alejandro Balde left as first-team defensive options for the Alavés match, which is why the right-back debate has reopened around Porro.
Barcelona are also coming off back-to-back defeats, while their league position still keeps the focus on strengthening rather than panic-buying. They sit first in La Liga with 27 points from 10 matches, so any January move would be about adding options to a title-chasing side, not rescuing the season.
The Porro question stays open
Joan Laporta has long liked Porro, and A Bola reported that he is the name chosen by the president to strengthen the right-back area. Porro himself has kept the door open to a return to Spain, saying, "I have always said that I would love to return to Spain because it is my country, and it would make me very excited."
He also added, "Nobody has told me that Barcelona or Madrid want me. Clubs have asked about my situation, but there was no real interest." That lines up with the more cautious reports, which say Barcelona are not currently working on a deal.
The finances still look awkward. Tottenham renewed Porro until 2031, and the summer enquiry was blocked by demands above €60 million. Barcelona would first need to balance their accounts, and Ferran Olivé has said any January signing would need to be accompanied by a sale. Porro has four Premier League appearances this season and Tottenham are on 9 points from 8 league matches, so there is no easy path to a deal before the window opens.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
