Barcelona are pressing ahead with their hunt for a centre-back this January, determined to stay in the fight across every competition.
Deco and the sporting department are weighing up several options. One name has climbed the club's shortlist: Piero Hincapie, the 24-year-old Ecuadorian defender who joined Arsenal but has struggled for minutes this season.
According to Catalan newspaper "Sport", physical problems and fierce competition in the London club's backline have shrunk Hincapie's role under Mikel Arteta.
Signed from Bayer Leverkusen, the Ecuadorian is finding continuity hard to come by and currently sits outside the Spanish manager's preferred options.
His profile, though, ticks every box Barcelona want. He is left-footed, carries international experience and offers the tactical flexibility Hansi Flick loves, comfortable at both centre-back and left-back.
That versatility would widen the Catalans' defensive options for a second half of the season set to be packed with major challenges.
Glowing reports on the Ecuador international have reached both Deco and Flick, so the sporting director has made initial contact with the player's representatives to gauge his appetite for a move and test whether a deal can be done in the winter window.
None of this will be straightforward. Arteta may not treat Hincapie as a regular starter, but he is deeply reluctant to release anyone in January. The Arsenal boss knows plenty of matches lie ahead, and he has no intention of thinning out a squad built to compete on several fronts.
For now the move stays exploratory, part of Deco's search for defensive solutions. "Sky" reported that Barcelona have also enquired about Alessandro Bastoni, the Inter Milan defender who remains on the sporting department's list of targets.
Taken together, the Hincapie contacts and the Bastoni interest confirm Barcelona are scouring the market for central defenders. Deco wants to assess every option before making a final call. Flick's sporting demands pull in one direction, the club's financial constraints in another, and January has grown into a pivotal month in the Catalans' planning.