Barcelona are looking to sign a new central defender this summer, and their leading target is Inter’s Alessandro Bastoni. But given that it is far from certain that they will be able to afford a deal with the Nerazzurri, cheaper alternatives are being considered by Deco, the club’s sporting director.
Jon Martin is someone that Barcelona are interested in signing, but the Real Sociedad is not the only Spain-based option that the Catalans have on the table. According to MD, they have been offered the chance to sign Real Betis’ Natan.
Natan joined Betis on a permanent basis last summer following a successful loan spell during the 2024-25 season. He’s impressed during his 41 matches in the current campaign, which is why he has already attracted interest from the Premier League – although those offers were snubbed by Los Verdiblancos.
Natan fits the profile that Barcelona want for their centre-back signing, in that he is left-footed. Betis are prepared to do business in the summer, although they intend to ask for upwards of €30m in order to part ways with the Brazilian defender, who would prioritising moving to Catalonia over any further offers from England.
At this stage, it is unlikely that Barcelona will consider Natan to be a serious target, as their focus is on working on the Bastoni deal. They are hoping to come to an agreement with Inter over the next couple of months, but if is becoming impossible, they will start to seriously consider other targets.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Natan this summer, who already have a ready-made replacement in Valentin Gomez – the Argentine has mainly featured at left-back since joining Betis, although he predominantly played centrally prior to joining Manuel Pellegrini’s squad from Velez Sarsfield in 2025.
