Barcelona are running out of defenders, and their president seems to know who he wants next. Reports in Catalonia this week say Joan Laporta would like to bring Tottenham right-back Pedro Porro to the club. At the same time, Jules Koundé has been ruled out of Saturday’s game against Alavés.
Laporta and Porro
According to those reports, Laporta has liked Porro for months and was impressed by his World Cup this summer. There is no offer yet, and there is no agreement with Tottenham. Barcelona have also not made a final decision.
Any deal would be hard. Porro signed a new contract with Tottenham in June, and reports say it runs until 2031. Barcelona also have money limits, which makes a big signing in January difficult.
A summer to remember
Porro is 27 and has had the best year of his career. He was a starter for Spain at the 2026 World Cup and scored in the 2-0 semi-final win over France. He then played in the final, where Spain beat Argentina to win the trophy.
He knows Spanish football well. He came through at Girona, played on loan at Real Valladolid and then made his name at Sporting in Portugal before he joined Tottenham in January 2023.
Short at the back
The timing of the reports is no surprise. Koundé sprained his left ankle against Real Betis and has not been able to train fully since. He will miss Saturday’s league game against Alavés at the Spotify Camp Nou.
He is not the only one. Andreas Christensen and Eric García are also out, and young full-back Xavi Espart is set to miss about seven weeks with an ankle injury from last Sunday’s Clásico.
That leaves Hansi Flick with only four senior defenders for the weekend: João Cancelo, Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martín and Alejandro Balde. Some young players from the academy have been training with the first team to fill the gaps.
Our take
It is easy to see why Barcelona like Porro. He likes to get forward, and he has just shown at a World Cup that he can play at the highest level. He would also bring cover at right-back, where Barcelona look thin right now.
But wanting a player and signing him are two very different things. Tottenham have no reason to sell a World Cup winner they just tied down to a long contract, and Barcelona’s money problems have not gone away. For now this looks more like a wish than a plan. The short-term answer for Flick will have to come from inside the club.
Would Pedro Porro be the right signing for Barcelona? Tell us in the comments.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Pedro Porro by Bryan Berlin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Jules Koundé by Bryan Berlin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Spotify Camp Nou by SimpleObjects-9ei (CC BY-SA 4.0).
