Surprise at Barça? Yan Couto could be the new backup for Koundé

The FC Barcelona board seems to be convinced of the need to sign another right-back next summer. Beyond the full confidence in Jules Koundé, the presence of Héctor Fort as an alternative to the French international still does not convince the club, even though, in his few appearances this season, the 18-year-old defender has not made serious mistakes. However, Deco is betting on bringing in a low-profile player, but with more experience to cover the back of the '22' culé.

The latest information indicates the Blaugrana's interest in Yan Couto, a player that Barça had on their radar several seasons ago. The Catalans were very attentive to the Brazilian when he was still playing at Coritiba in his country, but Manchester City got ahead by putting 6 million euros on the table to sign the right-back. The player, however, never debuted with the 'sky blue' team and alternated loans to Girona (three seasons), Sporting Braga, and Borussia Dortmund.

"When I was a champion (U-17) with the Brazil National Team, I visited Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Barça. I was sure I was going to Barcelona, but Pep Guardiola called me and things changed," Couto recalled in an interview for 'AS' in 2024. However, after a great year with Girona under Míchel, last summer he ended up moving to Dortmund in an operation that turned out to be a fiasco for both parties.

Dortmund will listen to offers for Yan Couto this summer

Indeed, the German team closed a very strange deal with City, in which they agreed to pay 5 million euros upfront for the 21-year-old defender, plus another 20 'kilos' for his definitive transfer if the player from Curitiba played at least 5 official matches this season. In this way, the Manchester team ensured to earn 25M€ for a player who didn't even debut at the club, while Borussia paid a fortune for a defender who has not managed to adapt to German football.

Yan has barely accumulated 767 minutes spread over 21 appearances this season, contributing only one assist in the Cup. The Brazilian has not managed to fit into Nuri Sahin's scheme and has also not been able to earn Niko Kovac's trust, which is why he is likely to go out on loan next summer. For Barça, he could be an interesting alternative, as he is a full-back who will accept the role of substitute and has shown very good qualities with Girona, a club with which he played 95 matches in the 20/21, 22/23, and 23/24 seasons (scoring 5 goals and providing 17 assists).