Barcelona suffer injury setback in backline with potential transfer market implications | OneFootball

Barcelona have suffered another injury setback with defender Andreas Christensen, who will be ruled out for the next three weeks. The Danish defender has yet to play since the second game of the season due to an Achilles’ tendon issue, but will now be back in the recovery process.

Christensen has been back fit for several weeks now, but the centre-back was yet to be brought back in by manager Hansi Flick. During their training session ahead of their final Champions League group phase clash with Atalanta, Christensen suffered a fresh injury which the club have confirmed will require a three-week recovery period.

In addition to the Atalanta game, Christensen will be absent for Liga clashes with Alaves (H), Sevilla (A) and Rayo Vallecano (H), as well as their Copa del Rey quarter-final at Mestalla with Valencia next week. Given he has been absent for much of the season as it is, Hansi Flick will no doubt continue to divide minutes between Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia, as they also await the return of Inigo Martinez from injury.

It could also impact Barcelona in the final six days of the transfer market. Christensen was one of two players, alongside Ansu Fati, that could have departed in the final stages of the transfer market, in search of more minutes. So far Fati has resisted all attempts to move him on, and MD say that Christensen was more likely to consider a move on loan until the end of the season as a result. His injury would appear to at the very least make an exit improbable though, and that will have a knock-on effect on Barcelona’s ability to strengthen in the transfer market.

Barcelona have been linked with Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford and Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku in loan deals until the end of the season, but without an exit, they will reportedly not have enough space in their salary limit.