The departure of Sergio Busquets from FC Barcelona at the end of last season has left a big hole in the club’s squad, which is in no way easy to fill.
It will be almost impossible for Barcelona to get another midfield pivot with the qualities and intelligence of Busquets, and the club will have to make a compromise with whoever they sign as his replacement.
Oriol Romeu was signed this past summer, who began his life at Barcelona in a promising fashion but has struggled to keep up the early good form in the last few matches. It is becoming increasingly clear at the club that a more reliable midfield pivot will have to be signed for the long term.
One player that resembles Busquets the most in his playing style is the Real Sociedad midfielder, Martin Zubimendi. The player has long been on Barcelona’s agenda and is one of the favorite players for Xavi to replace Busquets in his squad.
However, signing Zubimendi would be full of difficulties for the Catalan club. The player loves Real Sociedad and has openly expressed his wish to play with La Real in the UEFA Champions League.
Real Sociedad themselves are not willing to part with him unless his €60 million release clause is paid, which is almost an impossibility for Barcelona at this point in time.
Now, according to the trusted journalist Fabrizio Romano, another difficulty is likely to creep up for Barcelona. The Premier League side, Arsenal, is looking for a replacement for Thomas Partey, who has struggled with injuries for the last few months, and while their top target is Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa, they also appreciate Martin Zubimendi.
Thus, Barcelona can see competition for their midfield target increase in the upcoming summer window, when Arsenal and several other sides will be trying to sign him.
While such an auction may make signing Zubimendi impossible for Barcelona, the club is still internally discussing the possibility of signing him in the summer of 2024.
