Heavily linked right-back left off four-man Barcelona shortlist | OneFootball

Barcelona have made right-back their second priority in the transfer market, after bringing in a top left-winger. With Gerard Martin performing at left-back and youngster Jofre Torrents making progress behind him, the Blaugrana believe that an alternative to Jules Kounde is more of a priority currently.

According to Sport, Director of Football Deco is working with a primary shortlist of four players for the position currently. Their top choice would be Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong, heavily linked with Liverpool of late, and with a €40m release clause in his contract. The Blaugrana consider him a top-quality target that would raise the level of the squad, but his price tag is likely out of their reach excepting a large sale.

AS Monaco right-back Vanderson (23) is another candidate that Deco is keen on, due to his international experience, youth and his skillset, which he feels fit Barcelona. On the other hand, Marc Pubill of Almeria is another name that has been heavily linked to Barcelona, and was reportedly close to a move last summer. That was ruled out due to a lack of space in Barcelona’s salary limit, although this may well be an obstacle again this summer.

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If Almeria are promoted, that may raise the price, but one of the advantages of moving for Pubill would be his more affordable price tag, and the fact that Barcelona feel they could get a deal done swiftly and without issues. The most recent name to be linked with them is Givairo Read of Feyenoord, who was offered to the club and has fans within the recruitment department. His price tag is as of yet unknown, but in terms of his game and his age, he fits the bill too.

What is perhaps notable is that Rayo Vallecano right-back Andrei Ratiu is not listed as one of their potential options. The Romanian right-back has been heavily linked with Barcelona, amongst other sides, and has a €25m release clause. It was reported that Hansi Flick was less keen on Ratiu, and this would appear to suggest he is on a secondary list of candidates.