Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has said that the Catalan giants are open to adding a centre-back to their squad during the January transfer window.

The La Liga champions are currently without a number of defenders through injury, with Eric Garcia, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Xavi Espart all sidelined.

Frenkie de Jong and Rodri are emergency options in the middle of the defence, but Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin are currently the only genuine options in that area of the field with first-team experience.

Barcelona have conceded six times in their last two matches, suffering a 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League before going down 2-1 at home to Real Madrid in La Liga.

The Catalan outfit have scored 40 times in La Liga this season but have conceded 11, and there have recently been claims that a centre-back could be targeted by the club when the January transfer window opens for business.

Barcelona could sign a new centre-back in January

Flick was asked for an update during his press conference on Friday, as Barcelona prepare to continue their La Liga campaign against Alaves on Saturday.

“I said it during the transfer window, we always talk about what’s best for the team, how we can improve it. It’s something we’re working on. We’ll see. We have a few weeks left before the transfer window opens,” Flick told reporters.

"We’ve discussed it with Deco (sporting director), Bojan (football coordinator), and my staff. That’s how we do things. If we can, maybe we will."

Barcelona have struggled defensively at times this season

Flick also commented on his team's defensive issues this season.

“Defending isn’t just a job for the defenders; everyone is involved. First, we can’t afford to lose possession easily like we did against Real Madrid. It’s not good. It’s not the quality we usually have. I already said that perhaps we weren’t very fresh," he said.

“We need to play with more concentration. And when it’s time to defend in the box, it’s important to mark the opponent. We weren’t very good at that. We have to improve. We’re training this and talking to the players about it. We have to manage it.”

Flick could hand a first start of the season to Alejandro Balde against Alaves on Saturday given the team's injury problems at this moment in time.

However, Flick was critical of the defender during his press conference on Friday.