Barcelona eyeing transfer for 25-year-old Wolves midfielder

The search for Sergio Busquets’ replacement has become increasingly tough for Barcelona. At 33, the Spaniard remains an indispensable part of Xavi’s setup, playing as the pivot in a midfield three.

However, it is clear that Busquets is at the last juncture of his career, and cannot play forever. As such, Gerard Romero has reported Barça’s interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves.

The Portuguese has been in tremendous form this season, and consequently, has attracted the attention of top clubs, with Arsenal said to be in pole position for his signature.

Even though Neves does not have a long-term contract with Wolves as it stands, Bruno Lage’s team are in contention for Europa League, and a push Champions League spots in the Premier League.

If they manage to reach either competition, Neves’ price tag could rise a fair bit, which would make matters that much more complicated for Barcelona.

The Catalan giants have failed for years in their pursuit to replace Busquets. In fact, it would not be farfetched to say that Busquets is the only definite starter in team’s midfield despite some spectacular talent in the roster.

Pedri and Frenkie de Jong are the go-to first-choice midfielders but have a lot of competition from Gavi and Nico Gonzalez. Xavi has tried to deploy de Jong as a no. 6 temporarily, but with little to no success.

As it stands, it seems Barcelona are working to bring in Franck Kessie from AC Milan on a free transfer. The Ivorian has some experience playing as a defensive midfielder even though he prefers a de Jong-esque box-to-box role.