Barcelona eye Serie A ace as the No. 1 candidate to replace Busquets, Zubimendi ‘impossible’

Ever since Sergio Busquets announced his desire to leave Barcelona at the end of the season, the club have stepped up their pursuit of a new pivot midfielder.

Xavi Hernandez has acknowledged that signing a defensive midfielder should be a priority ahead of the new season. His thoughts have been echoed by the board as well, with a midfielder and a striker emerging as potential transfer priorities for Barça in the summer.

According to Toni Juanmarti, Martin Zubimendi was on the top of Xavi’s wishlist. But Barcelona cannot afford to go after the Real Sociedad starlet this summer, and an operation is seen as ‘impossible’. As such, they are prioritising a move for Sofyan Amrabat.

The Fiorentina midfielder has emerged as the number one candidate for Barcelona as they look to reinforce their options in the middle of the park.

Barcelona were linked with a move for the Moroccan international during the January transfer window. But the move did not materialise as Fiorentina were reluctant to let go of their ace performer.

However, this time around, Amrabat could be available on a cut-price deal, as his contract at Fiorentina expires at the end of next season. That means the Italian club could run the risk of letting him leave for free next summer if they refuse to offload the midfielder this time.

Earlier reports have said Amrabat could be available for a fee as low as €5-6 million, which could make him an absolute bargain for Barcelona.

But for now, as Juanmarti claims, the Catalans must wait. The operation might take some time as Fiorentina are set to take part in the UEFA Europa Conference League final, where they will take on Premier League outfit West Ham United. It won’t be surprising to see the Violas resolving Amrabat’s future only after the season is over.