Barcelona Rule Out Otamendi, Maintain Cautious January Plan for Center-Back

Overview

• Reports in Portugal and Spain say Barcelona have no interest in Nicolás Otamendi, with no contact or offers made to Benfica.
• Benfica value the 37-year-old captain and expect him to stay through season’s end, and José Mourinho said he has no reason to fear a departure.
• Barcelona’s search follows Andreas Christensen’s multi-month knee absence and Ronald Araújo being out since late November for mental-health reasons.
• Manchester City are pushing a permanent sale for Nathan Aké at around €25 million, a price seen as beyond Barcelona’s January capacity.
• Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi has been linked, but a club policy against paying fees for players in their final six months reduces the incentive for a deal.