It is becoming increasingly clear that FC Barcelona will need a new midfield pivot for the next season. The Catalans will have to be content with getting only Vitor Roque in January but will have to make more moves in the next summer window if they want to remain competitive against the strongest European sides.
Barcelona have been linked with several exciting players who play in this position since the departure of Sergio Busquets last summer. The club opted for Oriol Romeu for this season, but he was not the club’s first choice, and his age and limited skillset make him somewhat of a weakness in Xavi’s team.
Guido Rodriguez, Joshua Kimmich, and Martin Zubimendi are three players who have been linked with Barcelona for this position for some time now. However, as Mundo Deportivo has noted, the possibility of the arrival of any of these three players has decreased significantly in the last few months.
Guido Rodriguez’s contract ends at the conclusion of this season, but he is already 29 years of age, and Deco wants the club to bet only on younger players.
The Real Betis midfielder is also suffering from an ankle injury that required him to go through surgery, and it is not clear how this injury will impact his playing abilities when he returns to the pitch.
Similarly, Joshua Kimmich has a profile that suits Barcelona’s needs, but the Sporting Department at the club is looking for younger players who have a high desire for winning titles. He has won everything with Bayern Munich in Germany, and his wage demands are also expected to be quite high.
Lastly, three particular factors have also resulted in a fading of Barcelona’s interest in Zubimendi. Firstly, Real Sociedad have not budged from asking for the full release clause of the player, €60 million, for his transfer.
Secondly, Barcelona do not want to pay Spanish clubs that have taken a position against them in the Negreira case. Thirdly, Zubimendi himself has never shown any particular warmth to the idea of moving to Barcelona, despite the clear interest of the Catalan club in him.
Thus, Barcelona may look at other targets in the summer when trying to bring a new midfielder pivot for Xavi.
