Barcelona track Cancelo, Srna and Lichtsteiner amid right-back woes

With Aleix Vidal failing to impress, the Catalans are on the lookout to sign someone in January to compete with Sergi Roberto

Barcelona’s worst fears have been realised: Sergi Roberto is doubtful for the Liga clash against Deportivo La Coruna. That means Luis Enrique will have to turn to Aleix Vidal, a player who’s been left out of the final matchday squad six times in a row.

The Barca boss has said many times that he is “happy with all of the players”, but, as Luis Enrique said recently, “my actions speak for themselves”.

It’s evident that Aleix is not really in his plans, which represents quite the decline for a player who was signed in 2015 as a long-term replacement for Dani Alves. Now his days at Camp Nou appear numbered – and Saturday’s game against Deportivo may be his last chance to impress.

In the meantime, Barca are looking elsewhere, with a view to signing another right-back in January – and there are three options for the Blaugrana that could all play in the Champions League if necessary: Juventus’ Stephan Lichtsteiner, Darijo Srna of Shakhtar Donetsk and Valencia’s Joao Cancelo.

The first two are veterans. The Swiss defender will turn 33 in January and has not been included in the Juve squad for the Champions League. Out of contract at the end of the season, he represents the cheapest option, with his club open to accepting a low offer. However, having been pushed out of his place in the starting XI by Dani Alves, who was deemed not to be worth keeping, his signing would be merely a short-term solution.

The same thing can be said of Srna. The former Croatia captain is 34 and reaching the end of his career. He has spent the last 13 years at Shakhtar and the Ukrainian club would be prepared to let him leave due to his excellent service for the club. However, while he remains a quality player, he surely cannot perform at the highest level for too much longer.

Both of those players would allow Barca to plug a gap until next summer. And while it is well known that the Catalans would like to bring back their former youth player Hector Bellerin, signing the Arsenal defender would prove both complicated and costly at this stage.

Vice-president Jordi Mestre has spoken in glowing terms of the 21-year-old and cited the youngster’s positive experience away from home (comparing the experience with those of Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas). Nevertheless, the Spain international says he is happy for now in north London – and a deal in the summer seems unlikely.

There is an alternative, though, and that man is 22-year-old Cancelo. Barca boast a strong relationship with Valencia, having signed Andre Gomes and Paco Alcacer from Mestalla in the summer, as Munir El Haddadi moved in the other direction on loan. The Portuguese defender fits the profile Barca are looking for, in that he is young and comfortable both in attack and defence.

For their part, Valencia have let it be known they have turned down bids of €30m for the European champion, whose release clause is set at €50m.