Barcelona considers January defender signing and works on three contract renewals

Reports say Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has approved exploring a defender signing during the winter transfer window, while the club works on renewing the contracts of Marc Bernal, Brian Fariñas and Gerard Martín.

According to SPORT, Barcelona is seeking to strengthen central defence after injuries to Eric Garcia, Jules Koundé, Andreas Christensen and Javi Espart, and is concerned about maintaining depth in its defensive options in the second half of the season. Reports indicated that the defeats to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Real Madrid in La Liga highlighted this need.

The club is looking for a defender who can make an immediate contribution, but its limited financial fair play margin, estimated at around 3 to 4 million euros, could push it towards a loan rather than a permanent signing.

On contract renewals, the report said Bernal has signed a deal running until 2029 and is expected to extend it by two years, with the agreement to be officially announced after the next international break. Barcelona then plans to focus on Fariñas, whose contract runs until 2028 and is expected to be extended by three years, followed by Gerard Martín, who is expected to add three years to his contract. Martín has played in 13 matches in all competitions this season.