Barcelona have missed out on one of their rumoured defensive targets in Nathan Ake, who has sealed a move to Fenerbahce. The Dutch international has been linked to the Blaugrana over the past six months, but they clearly decided not to make a move for Ake this summer.
It was during the January transfer window that he was most heavily linked with Barcelona, during their defensive injury crisis. Barcelona reportedly made contact with Manchester City at the time to enquire about his availability, but an injury crisis at the Etihad quickly transformed Ake from expendable to vital for the English side. As such, Barcelona shifted their attentions to Joao Cancelo, who arrived on loan from Al-Hilal.
Nevertheless, Ake remained keen to leave City, with just a year left on his deal, and no longer a priority for City. The 31-year-old Dutch international was said to meet a lot of Barcelona’s requirements, being quick, experienced, left-footed and able to play in multiple positions. It will be Fenerbahce that benefit from those traits though, with the Turkish side confirming what Ben Jacobs says is a deal worth €8.2m, with a further €1.8m available in variables.
The lack of movement in the backline corresponds to a shift in strategy in recent months at Barcelona. Centre-back was at one time a priority, but after Hansi Flick halted a move for Alessandro Bastoni, the Catalan giants have now shifted all of their focus towards signing a centre-forward, albeit their [interest in Julian Alvarez has shown no sign of progressing](https://barcanewsnetwork.com/barcelona-midfielder-gavi-sends-clear-message-about-julian-alvarez/) lately.
At the back, Barcelona are expected to bring back Cancelo from Al-Hilal, and if they do get a number nine in, they may yet try to sign a centre-back. The [renewal of Andreas Christensen for two seasons](https://barcanewsnetwork.com/new-andreas-christensen-contract-gives-barcelona-future-safeguard/) would suggest that it will very much be an afterthought though.