Ever since Gavi got his ACL torn while on international duty with Spain, FC Barcelona have been linked with different midfielders to replace the Spaniard in the squad, as the youngster is not expected to recover before the next season.
Gavi was one of the most important players for Xavi this season, and it is understandable for the Barcelona head coach to want a replacement for the injured star. However, the arrival of such a replacement will be determined by the economic conditions of the club above anything else.
The Catalans have not gotten the expected payment from Libero Group, and have not either been able to finalize the negotiations with two other parties for the re-sale of Barca Studios. With only around a week remaining in the transfer window, time is very short for Barcelona to bring in a reinforcement.
Owing to these problems, Xavi was also very pessimistic about the arrival of a new player in January. As SPORT has reported, the head coach was addressing the press conference ahead of the match against Athletic Club, when he commented on this matter:
“Difficult, very difficult. The situation we have is unlikely to change. We have to focus on the players we have and compete until the end. I don’t think there will be any news. I don’t think so.”
While Xavi has not entirely ruled out a signing, it is clear that the former midfielder is not expecting a reinforcement to join his squad this month.
Thus, if no new player arrives in the remaining days of January, the only change in Barcelona’s squad in the winter will be the arrival of Vitor Roque. Therefore, Barcelona will have to keep playing with the players at hand for the decisive months coming ahead.