Through the first nine Matchdays of the 2023-24 LaLiga season, Barcelona are not atop the table. In fact, they aren't even second. At the October international "break", La Blaugrana are third in the Spanish top flight. They are one point behind not-so-Cinderella (because they are owned by Manchester City) story Girona and three points behind eternal rivals Real Madrid.
Last season, Barcelona surprised a lot of fans by dominating LaLiga. They had the best defense in Europe's top five leagues, surrendering an unbelievable 20 goals in 38 matches. Barça won the league by 10 points, wrapping things up early officially. Truthfully, they had the title sealed even before that, as Francke Kessié's Clásico winner ensured the title would be returning to Catalunya.
Mortgaging their future assets to swing for the fences in 2022-23 paid off. Robert Lewandowski was the best striker in LaLiga, but even the free signings paid dividends. Andreas Christensen, for example, changed the game despite not costing a single cent beyond his wages.
So who could La Blaugrana target in the winter transfer window in order to keep up with a Real Madrid side that added the new big superstar in world football, Jude Bellingham? Let's take a look at five key targets for Barcelona in winter 2024.
5. Villarreal RB Juan Foyth
Juan Foyth has been linked to both LaLiga powerhouse clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid for at least a year, yet the experienced defender has never left Villarreal. What Foyth lacks in terms of skill on the ball, he more than makes up for by being a dogged defender and one of the best players in one-on-ones. Just ask Vinícius Júnior. Almost nobody can keep him quiet on that left flank, yet Foyth joined Barça star Ronald Araújo as one of the select few to do just that.
Relentless in the tackle and willing to do the dirty work to support the center backs, Foyth is basically the opposite profile of João Cancelo. He's scrappy, focuses on defending, makes few mistakes, and has near-perfect positioning. Meanwhile, Cancelo is an offensive dynamo with arguably the highest technical level at the position, alongside Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold. He can make positive plays defensively as far as ball-winning goes, but his gambles and aggressive attacking nature leave him prone to back-breaking errors against the world's best wingers.
Barcelona always want to triumph over Real Madrid in LaLiga, but, recently, they've been slacking big-time in the Champions League, including in their otherwise amazing 2022/23 campaign. To go further in the UCL, Barça may need to prioritize a defensive profile like Foyth in order to compete with the world's best left-wingers.
4. Tottenham CM Giovani Lo Celso
Midfield depth is the name of the game, and while Barcelona made a couple of signings in that department last summer, they also suffered a couple of departures. So their depth in midfield remains precarious, as recent injuries to Frenkie de Jong and Pedri have highlighted. Furthermore, İlkay Gündoğan may be a useful addition in some ways, but he also doesn't seem to have the legs to play as often as Barça may like.
A pivot deeper in midfield would be more of a priority but signing someone with box-to-box and playmaking qualities to support attacking players like Robert Lewandowski remains another area of need. If Pedri is out, Barça can lack that bit of dynamism to help Gavi out. Another, experienced option could be in order.
Giovani Lo Celso is a former Villarreal player who's had a few good seasons of film in LaLiga between his time with the Yellow Submarine and Real Betis. Currently at Tottenham, Lo Celso almost never plays and doesn't seem to have a future in North London. He never really did. The Premier League may not be the right fit for his technical skill set, but we have considerable evidence of his quality in LaLiga.
The 27-year-old can play a number of positions, create chances, score the occasional goal from range, and even put in the work to win the ball in midfield. Lo Celso should be easy to acquire, and surely he'd be keen on moving to an even bigger club in the winter.
3. Granada ST Lucas Boyé
It may not be realistic to expect Barcelona to splash the cash in the winter transfer window. And even if they wanted to be big spenders in January, many of the best targets wouldn't be available. There is usually more money circulating in the summer after television rights, particularly for European competition, have been paid out. So selling teams naturally wait to part ways with their most valuable players on the market.
An underrated signing within LaLiga could be Lucas Boyé, who was excellent for a poor Elche side. Boyé managed to stick in the top flight by latching on with Granada, and he's been even better to start the 2023/24 season.
At his peak at the age of 27, Boyé has three goals and two assists in six matches. He is a constant source of danger and has proven throughout his career against Barcelona and Real Madrid that he can make an impact on the big stage.
Barcelona don't need a new starting striker. Robert Lewandowski is the best No. 9 in LaLiga. However, they need a backup. Barça don't have another true 9 in the squad, and Ferran Torres isn't going to cut it in this role. Lewandowski has missed a few matches between the last two seasons, and his absence showed in their last match against Granada. It would be wise to roll the dice on a backup with a different profile and even some possible room to grow on a team with a better supporting cast.
2. Bayer Leverkusen CM Exequiel Palacios
Martín Zubimendi is the dream in the defensive midfield for Barcelona, but Real Sociedad - and the player himself — have heavily resisted an expensive transfer. It is unimaginable that La Real would sell one of their most valuable and beloved players in the winter to another LaLiga side competing for a Champions League position.
Options in the defensive midfield are scarce, so it's not easy to find realistic candidates who have the quality to start every match for Barça. Bayer Leverkusen have everything to play for this season and can legitimately push Bayern München for the Bundesliga title, as they recently showed the footballing world head-to-head.
However, if things unravel, Barcelona need to be ready to pounce. They should be monitoring Exequiel Palacios closely. The 25-year-old Argentinian international has been fantastic this season. He's always been a good player, but under Xabi Alonso in this high-octane system, Palacios has become an even bigger foundational piece as a distributor from deep and a protector of the defense.
Palacios even contributes directly to goals, with two goals and two assists apiece to start the 2023/24 Bundesliga campaign. Further, he is averaging a jaw-dropping 4.5 combined tackles and interceptions per match. At any reasonable cost, he could be a world-class addition to the Barcelona midfield.
1. Stuttgart LW Chris Führich
Sticking with the Bundesliga, Chris Fürhich is an even more underrated player in the German top flight who is having an outstanding 2023-24 season for the biggest surprise side in European football, VfB Stuttgart. Die Schwaben have gone from relegation playoff survival to Champions League contention, and while a lot of that is thanks to breakout sensation Serhou Guirassy's 13 goals, Fürhich has been nearly as impressive.
When it comes to being a transfer target, Fürhich may be more appealing, because he has more of a track record for Stuttgart. He was always a very good footballer, but now he is getting a chance to flourish with Stuttgart seemingly improved. Fürhich plays on the left wing and is a silky athlete. He may not stand out as an obvious top-quality player for Barcelona, but he could be a real gem of a find at the right price.
Barcelona need another option on the wing. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha seem to have the right side covered. João Félix starts on the left, but Barcelona need another option with a different profile, especially if something were to happen to Félix.
Signing a top left winger is expensive, and Barça may need to take a gamble on someone with high upside but a reasonable price tag. Enter Führich. Still only 25 years old, the German forward has two goals and five assists this season with 2.3 key passes and 2.0 dribbles completed per game.