Barcelona board want to sign Premier League midfielder as Busquets’ replacement

As question marks continue to linger on the future of Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets, there seems to be no consensus within the club about a replacement for the 34-year-old.

Busquets is in the final six months of his contract and while Xavi is intent on trying to keep him at Camp Nou for another season, there is no certainty that the midfielder will sign an extension and stay put.

Amidst this, Barça have been looking at several possible candidates as possible replacements, but none of them have generated complete consensus within the club.

According to The Athletic, Barcelona president Joan Laporta and his board are in favour of signing Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves.

The Portuguese international will be entering the final year of his contract with Wolves in the summer and has previously expressed his desire to join Barça.

What works in favour of the former FC Porto midfielder is that his agent Jorge Mendes has very close ties with Laporta and would thus help facilitate his signing at a feasible price for the Catalans, being aware of their financial problems.

While the board is in favour of a move for the Premier League ace, Xavi is not convinced about Neves’ ability to replace Busquets as he does not see the 25-year-old capable of playing as a single pivot.

Instead, the Barcelona manager and his staff are pushing for Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi. But his signing is seen as extremely difficult due to his €60 million release clause, with La Real unwilling to negotiate a lower fee for their midfield mainstay.

So, even as they try to convince Busquets to stay for another season, the Catalans are assessing possible replacements. Neves seems to be high on the board’s wishlist even though Xavi does not agree and it remains to be seen which way the club lean come summer.