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When Barcelona secured Frenkie de Jong's signature in the spring, club president Bartomeu was asked about Matthijs de Ligt. He said that the defender is a fantastic player but is not on the club's radar at the moment.
A few months later, after Ajax's run in the Champions League which was led by their mercurial 19-year-old captain, Barcelona were forced re-evaluate their stance for the player and they decided to go in for the player.
Given the rich ties the club share between them, the transfer was considered straight forward.
Earlier, various reports even suggested that Barcelona and the player had reached an agreement. However, the talks were postponed until later, as the Dutch center-back decided to focus on his team's Champions League semi-final tie against Tottenham.
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Since then, the player's market value raised just as his personal demands. Mino Raiola, De Ligt's agent, has reportedly asked Barcelona to improve his personal deal as he wants to receive more money as compensation for the transfer.
With the club wage bill already accounting for 85% of the total revenue (recommended level is 75%), Barcelona can't improve the current deal and bow down to Raiola's demands.
Hence, the club might be forced to look at other options to strengthen their defense. So we look at 3 defenders the club might look for in place of De Ligt.
#3 Ibrahima Konate
A few years earlier, clubs needed a defender who could carry the ball from the back. But with the midfield getting conjusted, a new breed of center back has been slowly taking over football. Top clubs need center backs who can not only defend but players who have confidence on the ball and can break lines going forward. Konate is a player of the same mould.
Konate made his professional debut for Sochaux in 2017, at the age of 17. After a successful debut season, Konaté signed for RB Leipzig on a five-year contract.
Leipzig is a club that plays with a high back-line just like Barcelona. This means opposition try to play long balls or try to exploit the space left behind with the help of their wingers. So Leipzig needs a defender who possesses pace and is good in the air. Konate averages a dribbling success rate of just under 85% and wins 3.6 aerial duels per game.
This will be extremely helpful for Barcelona against teams like Villarreal who scored 4 goals exploiting the weaknesses discussed above. Add to that the overall defending qualities the player possesses and you have someone who could go on to become the world's best in his position in upcoming years.
The French contingent is already very strong at Barcelona and if Barcelona signs Konate, he will have no problem settling at the club quickly. With Gerard Pique being 32 and having few years of quality football left, he could really help Konate settle at the club and later have himself replaced by Konate himself.
#2 Dayot Upamecano
It's crazy how media's limelight can do wonders for a player. With Ajax's run in the Champions League, De Ligt has received all the plaudits and has been anonymously labeled the world's best young defender. De Ligt might be a great defender, but Upamecano is a player who is respected a lot in the Bundesliga and is certainly to watch out for in the near future.
In the winter transfer window of 2017, Upamecano joined RB Leipzig on a four-and-a-half year deal, for a reported fee of €10 million from Red Bull Salzburg. He was also shortlisted for the 2018 Golden Boy award the following year.
Playing for the same club as Konate - RB Leipzig - Upamecano too possesses pace and is good in the air meaning he is too hard to beat on counter-attacks and is very good with clearing his lines. One thing that makes Upamecano so special is his strength, which is quite high, considering he his only 20. This has 2 advantages. First, the strikers can't really win beat him in physical battles. Secondly, he is a player who can bring the ball out of the back and play those through balls for his team's attackers during opposition's high press without losing possession. He is also tactically very intelligent and reads his opponents movement quite early enabling him to stop attacks even before they began.
A player with a lot of maturity and a cool head, Upamecano is a player who can not only become a great defender in the future but also a club leader. With Barcelona lacking a real leader at the back since Puyol's retirement, he is a player Barcelona should really try to target in this summer's transfer window.
#1 Jean Clear Todibo
Why sign a player from another club, when you already have an upcoming talent in your ranks? In January, Todibo reached an agreement with FC Barcelona which would see him join them on a free transfer in July 2019, when his contract with Toulouse was due to expire. However, the Spanish side pushed the transfer forward and he joined the club in the same month itself.
Todibo made his debut in a 0-0 draw against Huesca and received high praise for his mature performance. He is again someone who can cover large ground thanks to his pace. He is very athletic and it is really hard to get the ball from him. Todibo is also a very disciplined player and rarely makes any rash challenges and gets into trouble with the referees, a quality which is very underrated among defenders but something which is very important.
Todibo is also very good in 1 v 1 situations which could come in very handy when the club pushes forward and plays with a high line (which they regularly do). Before joining the club, the player had more tackles and interceptions than Pique and Lenglet and was dribbled past the least again when compared with Pique and Lenglet. This just shows that he is a player with a wise head on young shoulders.
Recently, reports came out of Catalonia that Barcelona won't go crazy for De Ligt and if they eventually fail in signing him, they would place their faith on the 19-year-old. Hence, Todibo has a great chance and should take it would both hands next season.
