€50m Bundesliga midfielder remains priority target for Barcelona | OneFootball

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Although it has been a year since he left Barcelona, the Catalans have still not been able to replace their former defensive midfielder, Sergio Busquets in their squad.

Replacing a midfielder of his stature would have been difficult for any club, but there is no doubt that the Blaugranes will have to make an investment in this position to mitigate the impacts of this loss.

Last year, the Catalans brought in Oriol Romeu as a low-cost option for this position, but after a few promising games, it became clear that he would not meet the requirements of Xavi’s Barcelona.

Xavi had some clear favorite candidates for this position, with Martin Zubimendi and Joshua Kimmich as his preferred pivots. But with his departure and Hansi Flick’s appointment, the journalist Alex Pintanel reports that the Catalan team’s requirements have changed regarding their desired midfield pivot.

The German tactician plays with a 4-2-3-1 formation and does not necessarily need a lone pivot in his team. Thus, Deco will have greater freedom in looking for midfield options this summer.

Still, among the different names that the Barcelona Sporting Director has on his list, Joshua Kimmich remains the one with the highest priority. Amadou Onana and Mikel Merino are other options also on the Portuguese official’s list.

Recently, the name of the French midfielder, Adrien Rabiot, has also entered this list as he offered himself to the Catalan club. However, the Blaugranes have put his name on hold for now as he is not one of the priority candidates for Deco.

The Argentine Leandro Paredes, whose contract with Roma ends next year and thus can be obtained for a reasonable price, has also been offered to Barcelona.

Ultimately, the financial margin available to the Catalan club will determine which one of these options they acquire this summer. Marc Casado and Marc Bernal from the youth academy are also going to be in the pre-season under Flick, and can be options for this position in the coming season.