Barça's new conditions for acquiring Lisandro

Bangla Press Desk: Barcelona are interested in signing Manchester United’s Argentine defender, Lisandro Martínez. The Catalan club is looking for a new centre-back in the upcoming January transfer window to address weaknesses in their defensive line.

However, for Barcelona to secure Martínez, Manchester United would have to agree to a specific condition: the English club would need to release the experienced defender for a lower fee.

Citing the Spanish outlet 'Sport', Goal.com reports that Barcelona’s sporting director, Deco, is monitoring Martínez’s situation. The club has included the Argentine on their list of potential centre-back targets for the January window. The primary obstacle, however, is Barcelona’s financial crisis; having already signed several players during the summer, the club lacks the capacity for further significant expenditure. Consequently, any move for Martínez would have to be a budget-friendly deal.

Barcelona’s treasurer, Ferran Olivé, recently addressed the club’s financial state, noting that while there is a small surplus, it is extremely limited—amounting to only 3 to 4 million euros. He further explained that in order to bring in a new player, the club would first need to sell someone from the current squad.

Meanwhile, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is facing difficulties due to a series of defensive injuries. Eric García, Jules Koundé, Andreas Christensen, and Javi Espart have all been sidelined since the start of the season, leaving the team in urgent need of an experienced centre-back to bolster their defense. In this context, Martínez is being considered as a potential solution.

The 28-year-old defender is currently under contract with Manchester United until June 30, 2027, with an option for the club to extend the deal by an additional year. Selling him in January could also prove financially beneficial for United. Meanwhile, Barcelona sees an opportunity to acquire an experienced, left-footed defender at a relatively low cost.

However, there have been no reports of any formal discussions or agreements between the two clubs thus far.

On the pitch, things are not much better for Manchester United; the team is currently hovering near the relegation zone in the Premier League. Lisandro also faced a difficult situation in the recent match against Chelsea, where he was sent off after receiving two yellow cards within the span of just four minutes. Ultimately, United could not avoid defeat in that match either.