Jules Koundé's Contract Ends in 2027 and the club is in talks with his agent to extend it until 2030.
Deco and Flick count on Koundé as the right-back for Barça for many years, but the technical department feels the need to sign another reliable right-back.
Héctor Fort Is Not Competition for Koundé
Koundé is under superhuman demands. He is an undeniable athlete, but the schedule could make him burn out.
He is probably the footballer who has played the most minutes this season: 3,541 minutes with Barça out of 3,870 possible. Meanwhile, 664 minutes with France out of 750 possible. He has already played 4,205 minutes.
Neither Deco nor Flick question Koundé's starting position, but they understand that he needs a reliable substitute to manage his workload and avoid excessive wear. That competition is not Héctor Fort and the club is looking for a replacement.
The Favorite
So far, Deco has negotiated with three right-backs. The first and great favorite in the race to join Barça is the Romanian from Rayo Vallecano Andrei Ratiu, 26 years old.
Ratiu has even looked for an apartment in Barcelona. The negotiation is very advanced and he is Flick's favorite to become Koundé's alternative. But he is not the only one.
There have also been contacts with the Brazilian international from Monaco Vanderson, 23 years old. Meanwhile, with Marc Pubill, a Catalan who plays for Almería and is only 21 years old.
The Mingueza Option
There is still one last option, which would involve bringing back the newly minted international Óscar Mingueza. Barça can bring him back by matching the best offer that comes for him to Celta.
They also retain 50% of his rights, which means that if an interesting offer comes for him, the Catalan club would receive half of the profits.
Although much has been said about this topic, the club thinks that his time at Barça has already passed. Laporta is more inclined to accept what comes from a future transfer than to bring him back.
The number one candidate is Ratiu. Vanderson and Pubill remain as alternatives if the negotiation with the Romanian falls through.