Barcelona do not want to depend on a single outcome in the summer market. The sporting department, led by Deco, are working with backup plans for several key positions so the club do not get blocked if certain operations fall through. The clearest current cases are Marcus Rashford, João Cancelo and Wojciech Szczęsny, and recent reporting says Barça already have alternative names lined up behind each of them.
This is not being presented as improvised market noise. The logic inside the club is to move early, compare profiles and keep a second route ready in case a priority deal becomes too expensive or impossible. The idea is simple: react quickly, reduce risk and keep control of the planning.
Left wing: youth and upside
On the left wing, Barça are studying two main alternatives if Rashford does not stay. The first is Jan Virgili, a player the club know extremely well and over whom they reportedly hold a form of first-refusal advantage. Virgili himself has recently said that returning to Barcelona would be hard to turn down, although there are also doubts inside the club about his consistency and about the way his previous exit unfolded.
The other big option is Andreas Schjelderup. The Benfica winger is very well regarded internally because of his technical quality, attacking profile and room for growth. Reports from the last week say Barça continue to monitor him closely as a younger alternative to Rashford, especially because his wage demands would likely be much more manageable.
Full-back: experience or versatility
For the full-back positions, Deco has two strong fallback names if Cancelo does not continue. One is Álex Grimaldo, who offers immediate performance, high-level experience and a profile Barça already know well because of his past in La Masia. The other is Andrea Cambiaso, a more versatile option who can play on both flanks and whose name has gained real weight in recent weeks.
Those two names answer slightly different needs. Grimaldo looks like the more proven and direct solution, while Cambiaso gives the club more tactical flexibility and a younger long-term profile. Barça are said to value both routes depending on how the Cancelo case develops.
Goalkeeper: a reliable solution
If there is movement in goal and Szczęsny does not continue, Barça also appear to have a clear name in mind: Álex Remiro. Reports from the last week say Barcelona have looked at the Real Sociedad goalkeeper as a dependable option because of his consistency, La Liga experience and ability to perform under pressure. Remiro has acknowledged the rumours without closing the door entirely, although the operation would still depend on cost and on how Barça resolve the wider goalkeeping picture.
A plan designed to avoid mistakes
The overall message is very clear. Barça want to avoid being left without solutions like in previous markets, so Deco is working with multiple scenarios at once. That is why the club already have six names ready in parallel: Jan Virgili and Andreas Schjelderup for the left wing, Álex Grimaldo and Andrea Cambiaso for the full-back roles, and Álex Remiro as the main goalkeeper alternative, all sitting behind the current first-choice situations involving Rashford, Cancelo and Szczęsny.
So the plan is not to gamble everything on one outcome. Barça want a market with backup routes, quick reactions and fewer surprises. And right now, these are the names shaping that parallel roadmap.
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