Barcelona’s position on the five possible targets to replace Sergio Busquets – report

As we close in on the New Year, there has been a lot of chatter surrounding the future of Barcelona captain and veteran midfielder Sergio Busquets.

The 34-year-old will be entering the final six months of his contract with the club come January. And several conflicting reports are emerging over what the midfielder’s next move could be.

While it has been reported for long that Busquets has made up his mind to leave Barça and join Inter Miami as a free agent, it has been suggested recently that the club captain is seriously considering renewing his contract for another year.

Nothing is certain as of yet, however, and Barcelona must continue to prepare for a possible exit by planning to bring in a replacement for the midfielder who recently announced his international retirement.

To that end, Mundo Deportivo has come up with a detailed report in which it highlights the five options that Barcelona are considering to replace Busquets and the position that the club have taken with respect to each of the five targets.

Given the club’s delicate financial situation, Barça will have to manoeuvre carefully in the market as they also need to strengthen other positions, with a new right-back also being a top priority for Xavi Hernandez & co.

Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad is the favourite option at Barcelona to replace Busquets. The 23-year-old generates consensus among the coaching staff and the sports department. However, due to his €60 million release clause, his signing is seen as extremely difficult.

Wolves star Ruben Neves is also an option being studied – one which president Joan Laporta is in favour of. However, the sports department is not convinced whether he can play as a single pivot in the Barça midfield, leading to doubts over a move for him.

Chelsea veteran N’Golo Kante is seen as a good fit to occupy the holding midfield role. However, given his injury ordeals over the past eighteen months or so, the Blaugrana are waiting to see how he performs in the second half of the season, before pulling the trigger on a move for the Frenchman.

Along with Kante, his Chelsea midfield partner Jorginho is also on the radars of Barcelona and will be a free agent in the summer, like the Frenchman. While moves have been made for the Italy ace, his signing is not seen as easy. More so, with the midfielder recently confirming his intention to continue in London.

Finally, Sofyan Amrabat of Fiorentina is also being looked at following his exploits with Morocco in the FIFA World Cup. The 26-year-old is seen as a good fit but his valuation has skyrocketed after his displays in Qatar, which would make it difficult for the Catalans.

An intriguing next few months lie ahead for Barcelona and it remains to be seen which way they lean in their pursuit of a replacement for Busquets.