Sporting Director Deco Commissions New ‘Top Level’ First Team Signing

BusinessSportsMoneySporting Director Deco Commissions New ‘Top Level’ First Team SigningByTom Sanderson,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Tom Sanderson has been primarily based in Barcelona since 2019.Follow AuthorAug 10, 2026, 05:00am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.SummaryFC Barcelona's Sporting Director Deco is reportedly seeking a "top level" central defender following Ronald Araujo's surprising loan move to Liverpool, which includes a $63.5 million purchase option. Araujo's departure leaves Barca's defense thin, raising concerns over depth and potential injuries to key players like Cubarsi and Christensen. The club is actively exploring options to reinforce the backline. Aymeric Laporte is a potential target, but his €80 million price tag is deemed excessive. Cuti Romero, valued at €40 million by Tottenham and four years younger, is another strong candidate. Romero reportedly prefers a move to Spotify Camp Nou despite advanced talks with Atletico Madrid.Show More FC Barcelona Sporting Director Deco has reportedly commissioned the new signing of a "top level" central defender according to SPORT, which cited anonymous sources.Getty ImagesFC Barcelona Sporting Director Deco has reportedly commissioned the new signing of a "top level" central defender according to SPORT, which cited anonymous sources.Ronald Araujo’s shock departure to Liverpool announced approaching midnight on Friday evening in Catalonia has left the Blaugrana with one defender less.The Uruguayan will play the 2026/2027 season on loan at Anfield. Should he kick on in the Premier League, the Reds also have a $63.5 million (€55 million) option to buy clause inserted into the terms of the deal.Bayern Munich once circled Araujo in late 2023 to early 2024, with a rumoured willingness to pay around $100 million for his services. Yet even still, a sale to Liverpool for such an amount would represent a tidy profit on a player that joined the reserves from Boston River for a pittance in 2018.Not getting ahead of ourselves, Barça needs to think of the here and now in terms of squad planning. And not be pessimistic either, but the Blaugrana are just one injury to Pau Cubarsi away from having Gerard Martin and Eric Garcia as their main center backs. That goes without mentioning a world class yet unreliable Andreas Christensen, in terms of staying off the sick list.MORE FOR YOUThere’s been plenty of talk about Alvaro Cortes receiving a promotion and entering the pack. Yet common sense should push Barça out onto the market when landing the Champions League for the first time in over a decade is a main goal. Who are FC Barcelona’s main options?Forming a formidable partnership with Cubarsi at the World Cup, where the La Masia product won the Best Young Player as Spain conceded just one goal on their way to the title, Aymeric Laporte would be the best bet.Yet while his entourage point to a low termination clause, Athletic Club denies that it exists with his price tag put as high as $92.5 million (€80 million) according to Mundo Deportivo.Barça should hardly reach that fee for Rodri, who has agreed to join them and is younger at 30 than Laporte’s 32 with a much bigger reputation.At $46 million (€40 million), which is reportedly Tottenham’s asking price, Cuti Romero costs half that and is also four years Laporte’s junior at 28.The only problem is that he is said to be in “very advanced talks” with Atletico Madrid, from whom Barça would also like to buy Romero’s Argentina teammate Julian Alvarez.ForbesJulian Alvarez Agrees To Join Barcelona On Five-Year Contract, Report Argentine SourcesBy Tom SandersonRomero would prefer a move to the Spotify Camp Nou above all, however, but there has been no official approach to his camp as of yet.Furthermore, a number of Premier League stars have reportedly been offered to Deco and co. Tottenham aren’t interest in loaning Romero out and only want a straight sale. But that might work in another deal for an alternative option, if the budget is stretched acquiring Rodri and possibly Alvarez too.Already this summer, FC Barcelona has brought in Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi from Newcastle United and Borussia Dortmund respectively. Editorial StandardsReprints & PermissionsLOADING VIDEO PLAYER...FORBES’ FEATURED Video