The loss of Sergio Busquets was tough on FC Barcelona, but his alternatives have not lessened the pain. Many of the experimentations and alternatives that came after have proven to be ineffective. In fact, the very player that Barcelona brought in as the primary alternative has become invisible for Xavi Hernandez.
Oriol Romeu, brought from Girona for close to €3.8 million, is no longer a guarantee in the team. In fact, he has not even been a routinely rotational player for Barcelona in the last third of the season. Therefore, the Catalans are now looking to move past him and bet on players they believe bring more to the team.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barça have already gone and agreed to terms with Guido Rodriguez, and he will come in as a direct replacement for Romeu. The current Barcelona midfielder, on the other hand, is expected to be shipped back to Girona instead.
With the Catalan neighbors of Barcelona having already confirmed their desire to take Romeu back, it would not be too difficult for La Blaugrana to make that deal happen. Rodriguez, on the other hand, is expected to be the first signing of the summer for FC Barcelona.
The 30-year-old pivot, seeing his contract end in the summer, would arrive as a free agent. His incorporation is important to Barcelona as they want at least two specialist pivots in the team next season. Guido’s personality, drive, quality, and experience are all seen as great assets that a young Barcelona team could use.
Moreover, his presence would let Ilkay Gundogan and Frenkie De Jong breathe for once. The two midfielders have had to take up experimental roles to fill that gap in the pivot position, and it has not been pretty. Andreas Christensen, another experimental placement, did much better but he is not primarily a pivot either.
Apart from Rodriguez, however, Barcelona hope to sign another pivot as well. Names such as those of Joshua Kimmich or Martin Zubimendi are being mentioned, and those are the exact favorites of Xavi’s to finally replace Busquets with an elite specialist. It will be interesting to see how Barcelona ultimately end their summer shopping, however.
