Barcelona to rival Atletico Madrid for 28-year-old Premier League stalwart after transfer 'acceptance'

Barcelona have supposedly added a Bournemouth stalwart to their January shortlist and are prepared to battle Atletico Madrid for his services next year.

The reigning La Liga champions are on course for back-to-back crowns in 2025-26, sitting four points clear of Real Madrid at the summit of the Spanish top-flight table thanks to their extraordinary attack.

Hansi Flick has implemented a high-risk, high-reward philosophy onto his Blaugrana side, who have scored an unrivalled 51 goals in the 2025-26 La Liga season, at least 15 more than any other team.

However, Barcelona and their high line also have the worst defensive record in the top seven with 20 goals conceded, and the club are supposedly looking to shore up their defence in the New Year amid their current shortage.

La Blaugrana are without Ronald Araujo indefinitely while the South American prioritises his mental health, and they have just lost Andreas Christensen to a partial ACL tear, which could rule him out for the rest of the season.

Barcelona to battle Atletico Madrid for Marcos Senesi transfer?

A host of defensive names have been linked with a winter switch to Camp Nou, and according to TEAMtalk, the latest player to catch Barca's eye is Bournemouth and Argentina centre-back Marcos Senesi.

The 28-year-old - a recent Premier League Team of the Week entry - has become a cornerstone of the Cherries team under Andoni Iraola, starting 16 top-flight games in the current campaign and registering three assists in the process.

However, Senesi is about to enter the final six months of his deal at the Vitality Stadium, meaning that Bournemouth are powerless to prevent the former Feyenoord man from entering pre-contract talks with foreign clubs in January.

The defender has supposedly turned down several renewal offers and has now informed the Cherries that he will be leaving in 2026, and Bournemouth have accepted that they will not be holding onto him, triggering a two-horse race between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid for his signature.

It remains to be seen if the two clubs wait for Senesi to become a free agent in the summer, or if one or both parties make their move in January, when Bournemouth may be under pressure to entertain any cut-price bids to avoid losing him for nothing.

Senesi set the Premier League side back €15m (£13.1m) when he signed from Feyenoord in 2022, since when the South American has scored six goals and provided eight assists in 106 Cherries appearances.

A move to either Barca or Atletico would see Senesi line up on opposite ends to former teammate Dean Huijsen, who departed Bournemouth for Real Madrid this summer.

What other centre-backs are Barcelona pursuing in 2026?

Senesi is just one of several centre-backs linked with Barcelona, who are also alleged to be pursuing a 'most popular' Manchester City defender, as well as Crystal Palace captain and long-time Liverpool target Marc Guehi.

Borussia Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck has supposedly been courted by the Blaugrana too, and there may also be openings to sign Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate and/or Bayern Munich's Dayot Upamecano on free transfers.

Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni was formerly thought to be a top target too, but the Italian has now played down speculation linking him with Barcelona.