There is much excitement at Barcelona right now surrounding the return of Joao Cancelo.
The Portuguese international has rejoined the club on a short-term loan deal and is likely to be unveiled soon as an official Barça player.
However, Cancelo is only here until the end of the season, after which Barcelona may once again struggle with a lack of depth in the fullback department.
Deco’s plan beyond Cancelo
However, as reported by Diario SPORT, Barcelona sporting director Deco has a plan to mitigate the risks of losing Cancelo at the end of the season.
While the club will certainly monitor the Portuguese international’s performances during the second half of the season and make a decision on whether or not they should retain his services, the club are also looking at other options.
Barcelona’s priority is to avoid relying on the transfer market. Keeping that in mind, the club are looking at Hector Fort with much hope.
Hector Fort, Elche player
Barcelona are hopeful about Hector Fort. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
The young right-back is currently on loan at Elche CF. He was showing a lot of promise before his progress was marred by an injury.
The Catalans believe that if Fort can continue that development after returning from an injury, he could quite the prospect for the Blaugrana and the club won’t need to rely on the transfer window.
The role of Bojan becomes critical here, as he is in charge of monitoring all the loaned players.
Barcelona are also expected to keep a close eye on players like Jofre Torrents and other La Masia prodigies, and indeed, Joao Cancelo.
Entering the market for a new fullback next summer is currently Barcelona’s last resort option if all their players struggle to impress coach Hansi Flick.