The hunt for a centre back is still on. La Liga is set to kick off and Barça has yet to make its key signing. Porto central defenders Otamendi and Mangala are the latest additions to Barcelona's long shopping list after David Luiz and Agger were ruled out due to their high price tags.
Tata Martino knows his 25-year-old fellow countryman Otamendi well, whose name rang out at Atlético this summer. The alternative to the Argentinean is his teammate Eliaquim Mangala, the 21-year-old French player of Congolese descent who is pegged to be one of the great centre backs of the future.
Barça would prefer someone with experience and is not willing to go above €30 million. The previous favourites, David Luiz and Agger, have therefore been ruled out for the moment.
