Barcelona appears set to miss out on another defender who had been linked with the club this summer. Josko Gvardiol, previously rumored to be a target for Barca, is now expected to remain at Manchester City.
Spanish media reports indicate that Gvardiol is likely to sign a contract extension with City until 2031, along with a salary increase. When asked about his future ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Gvardiol stated only, "we'll see what happens." This development narrows Barcelona's options at the back.
Gvardiol is the latest defender to be moving away from Barcelona’s radar. The potential signing of Alessandro Bastoni now looks completely off the table, Marco Senesi has officially joined Tottenham, and Brighton are working to sign Luka Vuskovic.
Currently, Barcelona’s focus remains on pursuing forward Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid, though speculation about signing a defender continues.
With these rumored defensive targets drifting away, the question remains which alternatives Barcelona might consider moving forward.
