With the 2023-24 La Liga campaign starting in two days for FC Barcelona, the club still has to finalize its squad for the next season, as some players await their departure from the club, while the Catalans also want to bring in more players. One of the areas the club is looking to strengthen is the right flank of the defense.
Barcelona have been linked with various right-backs throughout the summer, with all of them having their own merits and demerits. One of the favorite candidates, especially of the soon-to-be Barcelona Sporting Director, Deco, was the Real Valladolid full-back, Ivan Fresneda. The Portuguese official wanted Fresneda, particularly for his low price and further room for growth.
However, the latest reports from Mundo Deportivo indicate that the Catalans are no longer considering Fresneda for their right-back spot, and he has been discarded as an option. This has happened primarily because Xavi wants a more experienced player in this position, while Fresneda is only eighteen and only has one season in La Liga under his belt up to now.
The decision to stop considering Fresneda as a potential Barcelona starter was taken in a meeting two days ago at the Ciutat Esportiva. This subject was one of the topics in this meeting, and while Deco welcomed the idea of signing Fresneda, both Xavi and Alemany disagreed with him as they wanted a different profile.
Thus, other options will be considered before Fresneda this summer. It was previously reported here that the Catalan club has not entirely ruled out signing Cancelo from Manchester City this summer and can make an approach to get him on loan. Similarly, Pablo Maffeo, the 26-year-old Mallorca right-back, is also being considered by Barcelona.
Even if Barcelona makes a move for Fresneda, he will not be bought with the intention of going straight into the first team, and Barcelona will send him on loan to assess whether he belongs to the first team in the future.
