The onset of the 2026-27 season has seen a major defensive reset at FC Barcelona. With Ronald Araujo’s move to Liverpool FC, the club has transitioned smoothly to Eric Garcia and Pau Cubarsi as the club’s primary central defenders. However, the team’s major issue on the left flank is still a caveat that the club needs to tackle.
Ever since Jordi Alba left the Catalan club, Alejandro Balde has been deemed to carry the mantle for the future. In his initial days, Balde nailed the role perfectly, but ever since last season, that explosive left-back has somewhat faded into the background. His poor form has been reflected in this season’s game time as well, as Balde has played just 12 minutes.
19-year-old Xavi Espart has taken over the role perfectly this season, and head coach Hansi Flick has put his belief in the teenager. Yet despite that, Barca needs a formidable, experienced and specialised left-back option if they want to win big on big European nights. This is where the Catalan club seems to have diverted its attention towards Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies.
As per an SB Nation report, Barcelona has expressed strong interest in Davies in the market. The move seems to be a major fit, considering Davies’ offensive overlaps and raw pace, along with the prior experience that he has already had with Flick at Bayern Munich.
However, Barcelona isn’t the only club keeping a close eye on Davies; Manchester United and Real Madrid can also emerge as close contenders for the player.
The trump card that Barcelona holds in this deal is Jules Kounde, a player that Bayern is reportedly interested in bringing to the Allianz Arena.
As per sources from Diario Sport, the German club is even looking to land the French right-back in the winter transfer window. This leaves out a major opportunity for the Catalan club to ask for a swap deal. Now, it needs to be understood that as per Barca Universal, the Spanish club will ask over 50M Euros for Kounde.
Meanwhile, Davies to Barcelona will also cost around 60-65M Euros for Barca. The amount is in the same bracket, meaning both the clubs can establish a middle route to get involved in this swap deal. Both of these players can fulfil the missing pieces of the other team. As mentioned earlier, Barca needs an experienced left-back to add more depth to their roster, and who better can it be than Alphonso Davies?
Furthermore, Bayern has players like Konrad Laimer and Josip Stanisic in the pool of right-backs. But Kounde’s explosiveness and dynamism on that right flank are something that Bayern can look to exploit with this deal. For Barca, shipping Kounde for a profitable deal like this one can be a no-brainer, considering the team already has Joao Cancelo in its pecking order.
However, for now, no official channels have been opened between the two clubs, and more updates on this plausible swap deal can be available as we approach the winter transfer window in January.
