Barcelona captain suggested the possibility of January exit but Xavi dismissed the idea – report

According to journalist Luis F Rojo of MARCA, Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets suggested to the club that he would be open to the possibility of leaving in January. However, manager Xavi Hernandez ruled out that idea as he wants the 34-year-old until the end of the season.

Busquets’ time at Spotify Camp Nou is winding down. The veteran midfielder and club captain is entering the final phase of his contract which will expire at the end of the season. And, as things stand, all signs point towards him leaving the club as a free agent.

Barcelona, for their part, have already begun the hunt for replacements and have identified several possible targets, with Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad emerging as the preferred option for manager Xavi Hernandez.

Given that the Catalans will likely be operating on the 1:4 rule again in the summer, there have been reports that they might look to sign a new midfielder in January itself, along with a new right-back, as they are still on the 1:1 rule at the moment.

But, president Joan Laporta recently confirmed that Barcelona cannot sign any players at the moment as they are again facing Financial Fair Play issues.

Amidst this, it has now emerged that Busquets has offered to leave the club in January itself if it would help the Blaugrana in any way. Given that he is one of the highest-earning members of the team, the Spain international’s exit would have released a large chunk of salary mass.

While it is unclear when the captain proposed such a move, the report adds that Xavi was quick to shoot down the idea.

The Barcelona manager sees his captain as an important part of the setup and wants to be able to count on him until the end of the ongoing campaign.

Having seen Gerard Pique retire recently, losing another experienced member like Busquets when the team is pushing for the La Liga title, could have been a blow for Barcelona. So, Xavi dismissing the idea would seem to be the right call.