Barcelona are reportedly looking to make three important new signings in 2026, and we can explain how such deals would affect Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Barcelona won the domestic treble last season, triumphing in LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana to heap misery on Real Madrid. They currently sit second in LaLiga, one point behind Madrid, and are down in 18th in the Champions League standings after five games.
The Blaugrana improved their title-winning squad in the summer by bringing in Marcus Rashford on an initial loan from Manchester United, while also signing Joan Garcia and Roony Bardghji permanently.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Hansi Flick and the Barca board are ‘aligned on the key positions to reinforce ahead of next season’.
They want a left-footed centre-half, a winger and a centre-forward.
Barca’s ‘top priority’ is a central defender to replace Inigo Martinez, who left for Al-Nassr in August.
The report claims they would love to ‘accelerate’ their move for a new centre-back in January, though they appreciate it will be a ‘difficult’ signing.
Nottingham Forest’s Murillo is high in Barca’s thinking. They love the fact the 23-year-old is a strong and intelligent defender who can maraud forward on the ball.
Murillo moving to the Camp Nou would leave Arsenal and Chelsea frustrated. It was claimed last weekend that Arsenal have entered the race for the Brazilian ‘with serious intent’.
Plus, our transfer insider Dean Jones confirmed on Friday that Chelsea are interested in Murillo, though there is ‘no chance’ Forest will let him go on the cheap.
Other defenders Barca are ‘monitoring’ include Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting CP), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund) and Luiz Benedetti (Palmeiras).
Interestingly, Arsenal have also been linked with Benedetti, who is only 19 years old but is building a great reputation in Brazil.
If Barca decide Murillo is too expensive, then they could engineer a move for Guehi instead. He has run down his contract and will be a free agent next summer.
Liverpool remain eager to add Guehi to their defensive ranks, but they will face competition from several European giants, most notably Barca, Madrid and Bayern Munich.
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New striker, winger also on Barcelona agenda
Flick wants Barca to snare a new striker too, with Robert Lewandowski looking likely to depart when his contract expires in June.
Barca signing Harry Kane from Bayern – via his €65m (£57m / $75m) release clause – is ‘gaining traction’.
Barca dream of signing Julian Alvarez or Erling Haaland, but such moves are unrealistic given the colossal fees involved.
Kane is on the market for an achievable price, and he is considering a new challenge away from Bavaria.
Our transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher revealed on November 3 that Barca are providing Tottenham with competition for the England captain.
Spurs ‘expect’ Kane to return in a sensational move, though Chris Waddle has explained why he could prioritise a switch to LaLiga.
Barca must also decide on their next left winger. They are undecided on whether to spend €30m (£26m / $35m) on Rashford, despite his great form.
Flick and sporting director Deco will perform an end-of-season evaluation on Rashford’s prospective transfer.
If Barca opt against signing Rashford permanently, then they could swoop for ‘long-standing target’ Rafael Leao of AC Milan.
Arsenal at risk of big exit; Kane responds
Meanwhile, a shock report has claimed Real Madrid see a world-class Arsenal star as ‘the perfect signing’.
Elsewhere, Kane has spoken about his future amid growing links with Barca and Spurs.