Xavi could push Barcelona to attempt a summer move for €60 million-rated midfielder

With Sergio Busquets leaving Barcelona during the summer transfer window, the club were in need of signing a new pivot midfielder to fill the void created.

And, it is no secret that manager Xavi Hernandez had the name of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi at the top of his wishlist.

However, the Spaniard opted to stay put and sign a new contract with Sociedad, as he desired to play Champions League football with the Basque club.

As such, after looking at several other options, that included Joshua Kimmich and Marcelo Brozovic, Barça ended up signing Oriol Romeu.

Barcelona want a new pivot next summer

Despite bringing in Romeu, Barcelona plan on investing in a new pivot midfielder in 2024.

The idea is to have two players for every position on the pitch, something that is not the case with the defensive midfield slot in the current roster.

Plus with Romeu not getting any younger and his form also declining in recent games, the need for a new midfielder to cover for and compete with him has risen.

As such, the La Liga champions intend to sign a new pivot. Even though reports claim that Barça want to make an addition in January, finances will not permit such a move and the operation will have to wait until the summer.

Xavi will again push for Zubimendi

And, as per Ferran Correas of SPORT, Xavi could once again push Barcelona to try and sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.

Even though the Spaniard signed a new contract with La Real, he opted to keep the value of his release clause intact at €60 million.

And, considering how much Xavi appreciates and admires the midfielder, he will once again ask Barcelona to try and rope him in as the long-term solution for the defensive midfield position.

With Zubimendi now having played in the Champions League with Sociedad, he might even be receptive to the idea of moving onto the next challenge in his career.

However, as has been the case in the recent past, much will depend on Barcelona’s Financial Fair Play situation as it will dictate their spending power in the market.

Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.