Barcelona’s sporting director Deco has confirmed that one centre-back will leave this summer, signaling a major defensive reshuffle.
Deco made the statements on June 22, 2025, by saying that the squad would require balance.
Deco said, “We have five centre-backs, and one has to leave, because it is too full of players in this position”, which dovetails with national team and club manager Hansi Flick’s desire to reform the roster after a successful 2024-25 season and provide adequate space in the club’s balance sheet to allow for new signings of players like Nico Williams.
The defender most likely to leave is Andreas Christensen, the 29-year-old Danish international defender who arrived at Barcelona in 2022 from Chelsea, as per Fabrizio Romano.
Christensen has had trouble getting consistent minutes in the squad, despite his pedigree and experience, due to the preferences of Flick for Pau Cubarsi, Ronald Araujo, and Inigo Martinez ahead of Christensen.
Based on Deco’s comments, it appears that Christensen will depart the club, and there has been interest shown in him from Premier League clubs, with Newcastle United viewing him as a reliable option.
Barcelona would prefer to get a fee in the area of €25m on a transfer for Christensen, but will accept a lesser figure in order to comply with the La Liga salary cap.
This transfer is just one part of a wider restructuring, and possible departures such as Ansu Fati and Frenkie de Jong will possibly help fund Barça’s ambitions.
Deco’s strategy is to try to have a lean squad and set his sights on free agents like Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi in 2026.
Christensen’s exit is necessary, but it shows the ruthlessness that Flick and Deco intend to use to maintain Barça’s La Liga dominance and challenge in a European competition.
The transfer window will continue to develop, and it will be intriguing to see where Christensen goes next as transfers continue to reshape Barça’s squad.
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