Xavi and Barcelona looking for a ‘top class’ pivot, four players make the list

With Sergio Busquets announcing his decision to leave Camp Nou at the end of the season, Barcelona are desperately looking for a new defensive midfielder ahead of the new campaign.

The Catalans have stepped up their pursuit of a midfielder in recent weeks and have been linked with a myriad of options, including young Dutch talent Arthur Vermeeren, even though the player is close to joining a Premier League club.

However, according to Javi Miguel, Xavi Hernandez is only looking for a top-quality pivot, in his bid to replace Busquets. It appears the Barcelona coach is not too keen on putting his faith in a young, inexperienced player.

To that end, only four players make Xavi’s list of considerations. The list is led by Rodri of Manchester City. The Spaniard has been linked with a move to Barcelona in the past, but his departure from Etihad in the coming summer looks close to impossible.

Another option is Joshua Kimmich, but signing the German international will be tricky as well. Bayern Munich have no intention to offload their star midfielder, who is likely to take on the leadership role once old guards such as Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer retire.

Martin Zubimendi is another player who makes the cut. Barcelona have overlooked the young midfielder for a while now due to his exorbitant €60 million Real Sociedad. But the current circumstances could force Barcelona to look into the move, especially with La Real open to signing a few of Barça’s young players.

The fourth player who makes the list is Marco Verratti. The PSG superstar is set to leave Parc des Princes at the end of the season. Although he reportedly wanted to move to Real Madrid, there is a possibility he might want to follow wherever Lionel Messi goes, which opens the door for a potential move to Camp Nou.