Barcelona transfer news: Blaugrana chief Deco explains January plans after surprise Inigo Martinez exit

Barcelona sporting director Deco is not expecting his club to be active during the January transfer window, but he stopped short of completely ruling out a mid-season addition.

The Catalan outfit have had defensive issues this term, and following the exit of Inigo Martinez over the summer, it has been suggested that the club could sign a new defender in January.

“We didn’t expect his departure; rather, we renewed his contract for an additional season. We agreed that if a special opportunity arose for him at this stage of his career, we would allow him to leave," Deco told the club’s General Assembly when asked about Martinez.

“We were surprised, but our word holds value, because Barcelona is bigger than just a contract paper."

However, Deco has said that the La Liga champions are not currently planning to bring any new players to Camp Nou in the middle of the 2025-26 campaign.

"I don’t see us having to go to the winter transfer market for the moment. The season will tell you a lot. No player has asked to leave, and that hasn’t conditioned the market for us,“ he added.

“We’ll be there whenever we need to. If something gets out of hand or if we need or want a player, I won’t name names; we’ll be attentive.”

Barcelona not planning to be active in January transfer window

Deco also addressed the contract renewals of Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Ronald Araujo and Pau Cubarsi, with Barcelona planning for the future.

“We renewed with Lamine Yamal, and this is a step worth celebrating, not only because he is a great player, but because he could become one of the global icons of football in the future," he said.

“We renewed for Fermin, a young player who represents the future, and for Pedri, who was in the last year of his contract, and for Gavi, who, despite suffering from injury, remains one of the pillars of the future, as well as Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, and Gerard Martín.

“We have decided to renew the contract of coach [Hansi] Flick for an additional year, as well as for his technical staff, to provide the stability and structure that we need.

“We kept the core players because the goal wasn’t to make numerous signings, but to hold on to what’s good in our squad. Our mission was to preserve the team’s essence, and there’s always room for improvement. The work didn’t start in the summer; it began long before that."

Deco explains Rashford, Garcia, Bardghji arrivals

Barcelona made three signings over the summer, bringing in Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United, Joan Garcia on a permanent basis from Espanyol and Roony Bardghji from Copenhagen.

"It was clear that we need Marcus Rashford, because he gives us attacking options on the left, in depth, or even on the right, so we don’t rely entirely on Lamine [Yamal] and Raphinha," said Deco.

"In the goalkeeping position, [Marc-Andre] Ter Stegen is a world-class reference, but his injury forced us to move quickly to sign Joan Garcia, whom we’ve been following for some time and who showed a strong desire to join. We paid the release clause in an organised manner, and we’re happy with his arrival.

"He [Bardghji] is a right-winger with high technical abilities. We have similar talents in La Masia, but he excels with an extra step, and he was exactly what we needed. It cannot be said that we were late in the transfer market; we are very satisfied with what we have achieved.“

Barcelona are currently second in the La Liga table, two points behind leaders Real Madrid ahead of this weekend's clash between the two biggest clubs in Spain.