FC Barcelona have their work cut out for the upcoming months. Firstly, the Catalans will have to look for a replacement for Xavi, who has already announced that he will step down as the head coach of the Blaugrana team at the end of the season.
After that, Deco and his staff will have to provide Xavi’s successor with a competent team to compete for the big trophies next year. The club’s situation regarding financial fair play will determine its moves in the market, and the Barcelona hierarchy understands that at least one player will have to be sold to make the required amount of money.
However, one area where the team clearly needs reinforcement is that of the midfield pivot. This has been a weak area in the squad since Busquets’ departure, as Oriol Romeu has failed to live up to expectations. Thus, irrespective of the futures of Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo, the club will want to get a pivot in the summer.
According to SPORT, the Catalans are willing to spend heavily for this purpose and can spend up to €35-40 million to get a proven player for this position. This amount can vary somewhat, but this sum will be a significant burden for the club which has been struggling with liquidity and fair play problems.
Whoever is chosen by the Blaugranes for this position will have to accept a long-term contract, so that his inclusion does not significantly impact the club’s fair play situation. Zubimendi, Onana, Weiffer, Andre, and Guimaraes are some of the names associated with Barcelona in recent weeks, but none of them looks likely to cost less than €50 million.
The clubs of all these players are looking to sell them to the highest bidder, and will hardly accept a bid lower than €50 million. Thus, Barcelona will have to start working early on this task to get a suitable player while remaining within their budget.
