Barça could complete Christensen or Murillo deal this week
The club will sign a defender in January to cover injuries
Barcelona will close the signing of a centre-back soon. In fact, it could even be today. The final two options are Andreas Christensen (Chelsea) and Jeison Murillo (Valencia).
The priority is Chelsea's Christensen but the negotiations are tough. Therefore, Barça could move for Murillo, who Ernesto Valverde has requested, but wasn't initially one of the club's top targets.
URGENCY
URGENCY Barça have spent various weeks working on the possibility of signing a defender due to Samuel Umtiti's injury. The final decision was made, though, when Thomas Vermaelen was ruled out for a month. Valverde wanted a centre-back and he wanted one now.
The coach made it clear to the club that he couldn't wait. Last season, he had to accept the arrival of Yerry Mina, a player he didn't want and hardly used. That was not going to happen again.
It's for that reason Valverde's pressed for a signing and ruled out options which could have dragged on. The club have moved on from players like Ivanovic (Zenit Saint Petersburg) and Rugani (Juventus), a player the Italians didn't want to let go of.
Christensen remained on the table. Talks have been ongoing and the player's done his bit. But Chelsea don't want to sell the Danish international. Barça's offer was a loan (worth three million euros) with a 40 million option to buy in the summer.
Valverde's rush has then led the club to Murillo. The Colombian isn't a signing everyone is in agreement with. The thing that makes it a good option is the speed with which it can be done. He has played at the top level in Europe and has experience of the Spanish league.
Rac1 revealed the interest in Murillo on Wednesday. The deal is almost done (Valencia want 1.5m euros) and if Christensen proves impossible, Barça will sign the Valencia man. He will join the club after the Christmas break for six months.
