Barcelona prioritising specific defensive profile and shortlist target as deadline day nears

The centre-back has been a priority for Barcelona all summer, and has sat at the top of the club's list of positions to be reinforced alongside the centre-forward department.

As deadline day nears, the club are increasingly close to closing the window without any big centre-forwards' arrival. The defence, however, remains an active operation.

There has been talk in recent days of Barcelona being in the pursuit of a young defender with specific characteristics, but the club have been moving with real silence and no name has come to the fore.

Now, SPORT confirms that Barcelona's priority for the summer is the signing of a left-footed centre-back and the operation will be advanced in the final days of the market.

Barcelona are looking for a partner for Cubarsi. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Deco and Joao Amaral have already identified the name of the target and are working hard on securing his arrival.

While the name remains unknown, the Spanish outlet confirm that it is a young player who is very liked by the sporting department.

The club's priorities are clear. They are pushing for a player who has good distribution, buildup abilities, can play long balls and break lines with his passes. The profile that has been identified ticks all the said boxes.

Initially, Barcelona were said to be prioritising the arrival of an experienced name to serve as Pau Cubarsi's partner at the back and lead the department.

Who is Deco's secret target? (Photo by Friedemann Vogel/Getty Images)

The club's requirements, however, have changed and experience is no longer seen as a prerequisite . The idea is to sign a young player with a high ceiling who can be moulded and developed to the manager's liking.

Alvaro Cortes' departure, on that front, served as a big indicator that the club are pushing for a new central defensive signing, as his exit creates space on the roster and a void in the squad.

With their target locked in, it remains to be seen how long Deco and Amaral require to complete the deal.

So far, the combination of the two administrators has done exceedingly well in identifying and closing transfers of young talent. Many arrivals have even yielded instant returns. There is, thus, hope that the next arrival will be no less of a pleasant surprise.