Barcelona confirm the signing of Andreas Christensen

Franck Kessie was not the only signing Barcelona made official as the Catalan side — only a few hours later — also confirmed the arrival of Andreas Christensen.

The club’s official release stated Christensen, like Kessie, signed a deal until 2026 with a €500 million release clause. The Danish international joins Barcelona on a free after he chose not to renew with Chelsea.

Perhaps more than the Kessie signing, Christensen fills an area of need for a team who were defensively week through large patches of last season. Injuries to Gerard Pique and Ronald Araujo left Xavi Hernandez with few options.

The hope is Christensen is able to assimilate quickly and brings the depth of experience from playing in the Premier League.

The only question now is whether or not he slots alongside Araujo in the center of defense. Pique is recovering from an injury but has vowed to return to form and make any defender the club brings in as a substitute.

Barcelona is also working on signing Jules Kounde from Sevilla. The price tag is currently scaring them away but if a deal was to be reached, one would have a hard time seeing anyone other than the Frenchman starting for Barcelona.

In any case, Christensen is added depth which they will need as their plan is to move on from Clement Lenglet, Samuel Umtiti and Oscar Mingueza. Lenglet is close to a loan move to Spurs whereas Umtiti could be released and free to sign with any team.

The 26-year-old will be one of the players trying to bridge the gap in the Barcelona squad. The team is comprised of two extremes between the young players and the veterans. Christensen, alongside Kessie, are entering the prime of their careers and should provide some stability.

In other words, they are going to be the veterans once some of the old guard leaves at the end of the season. Given his importance when he was at Chelsea and the Danish national team, Barcelona got a center-back they can rely on.