One of La Masia and Barcelona’s greatest ever finds is Sergio Busquets. Of all the Catalan golden generation players, the defensive midfielder was the glue that bound them together into a single, unstoppable team. Fittingly, the club is having the hardest time finding a replacement for him as rumors of his departure spread.
It is now widely known that the veteran will leave when his contract expires. There are only five months left in his contract with Barcelona before he can leave as a free agent. But the Blaugranas don’t appear to know how to fill the looming hole.
According to rumors from MARCA, Joan Laporta is a huge fan of Ruben Neves of Wolverhampton Wanderers and believes that he would be the ideal Busquets successor. Additionally, the president enjoys a solid working relationship with Jorge Mendes, his agent, making it easy for him to complete the deal.
Xavi Hernandez, though, is not persuaded by the Portuguese International’s resume. The manager and athletic department view the midfielder as a conventional double pivot rather than someone who would fit into the single-pivot Catalan 4-3-3 style.
Martin Zubimendi, on the other hand, is what Xavi views as the best fit for his objectives. Only his €60 million release clause, which Barcelona cannot currently afford, would make the Spanish player available.
Frenkie de Jong, who has recently displayed promise, or convincing Sergio Busquets to sign a season-long extension are the two possibilities on the coach’s table; Xavi is in favor of the latter if the team is unable to sign Zubimendi.
