Tiago Santos, LOSC Lille’s right back, is reportedly being watched by FC Barcelona. He is becoming a more appealing choice to strengthen the right side of the field.
Even though Jules Koundé has been a steady right back for FC Barcelona so far this season (2024–25), the team seems to want to strengthen that position with a player who is naturally good at that position. They want someone young but with experience in the top league who can take over a spot that has been giving the Blaugrana team a lot of trouble for a while.
At first, Álex Valle seemed like Hansi Flick’s top choice for that spot. But the Badalona-born player, who prefers playing left back and wants more attention, didn’t think twice about agreeing to go on loan to another team this season. So, the German coach had only one choice to make the right back spot stronger: Héctor Fort. Even though he’s been slowly getting more playing time, it doesn’t look like the German coach wants to use him. Jules Koundé is the player who has been moved the least so far.
Because of this, it’s not a surprise that FC Barcelona is seriously thinking about adding a right back during the summer trade window. There is a choice that is becoming more popular among Blaugrana’s sports management, and as reported by the “SPORT” media, they have started to keep a close eye on things. This alternative is interesting because it is young, doesn’t cost too much, and has a lot of promise for the future.
Tiago Santos, a right back who is 22 years old and plays for LOSC Lille, is one of the names that seems to fit into Barcelona’s sports plans right now. Many people compare him to Dani Alves, a legendary player for FC Barcelona, pointing out his main strengths: attacking power and great defensive positioning.
When his contract with “Los Dogos” ends on June 30, 2028, Barça knows that they will have to negotiate for the player because there is no release option. Even though the selling price hasn’t been announced yet, his present market value of €15M, according to “Transfermarkt,” suggests that it could be a “low-cost” deal that the team from the Catalan capital is looking for. This deal might also be possible because Tiago Santos is managed by Jorge Mendes, an agent who has a history of good relationships with FC Barcelona.
But if Barcelona decides to go all out to sign Tiago Santos, they need to think about an important thing. The Portuguese player is having a pretty interesting 2024–25 season with LOSC Lille. So far, he has played in 13 games, logged 868 minutes of action, and set up two goals.
Several of the best teams in Europe are now interested in him and may try to sign him. Thiago Motta’s Juventus could be one of these interesting teams. Other teams from the Premier League, like Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool, are also said to be keeping an eye on the talented Portuguese full-back with the goal of signing him in the future.