Barcelona poised to strengthen their defense by adding Leicester City star

Barcelona may be known for their stylish attacking football, but the Spanish giants are ready to spend big to strengthen their defense.

If Barcelona are going to overtake Real Madrid for next season’s La Liga title then they’ll need to strengthen their defensive options. Marc-Andre ter Stegen is an exceptional goalkeeper, but he needs better center back play in front of him next year.

That’s precisely why the Spanish giants are looking to add a new starting center back in this summer’s transfer window. The club’s top target appears to be Leicester City star Caglar Soyuncu. According to Turkish reports via NTVSpor, Barcelona are ready to lodge a £40 million bid to sign the 24-year-old defender.

What is Barcelona going to get for their money?

The player is ready to make the move to Spain, but it’s unknown whether or not Leicester are willing to sell Soyuncu at that price. The Foxes’ failure to secure Champions League football leaves them open to losing several big-name players this summer. Soyuncu may not be a household name all across Europe, but he’s a bright young defender who has already proven his ability to play in one of the continent’s top leagues.

Soyuncu wouldn’t necessarily walk right into a starting role at Barcelona, but he would be expected to take Samuel Umtiti’s spot in the club’s center back rotation. Umtiti will be sold the moment the club receives a reasonable transfer offer. Slotting Soyuncu behind Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet in the Barcelona pecking order would give him plenty of time to bed into the squad at his own pace.

From the Leicester City perspective, the club will need to sanction the move early in the transfer window if they’re going to allow Soyuncu to leave. Brendan Rodgers and his coaching staff will need time to acquire a suitable replacement for him in their starting XI before the 2020-21 season begins. They may not want to lose Soyuncu to Barcelona, but letting him go in early August would be much better than losing him later in the transfer window.

As such, Barcelona and Leicester supporters can look for a relatively quick conclusion to this transfer saga. It’s in everyone’s best interest to resolve the issue without letting it drag on.