Revealed: Xavi Hernandez’s preference for Barcelona pivot role this summer

Originally posted on Football Espana | By Ruairidh Barlow | Last updated 2/26/24

Barcelona will be on the hunt for a midfielder to become the heir to Sergio Busquets a year down the line from his departure this summer, and Xavi Hernandez has a preference in mind. His views will not hold too much weight now, given he will not be at the club beyond June, but the Blaugrana are still interested in his choice.

In recent seasons Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi has always been singled out as the ideal signing for Xavi, but Matteo Moretto has revealed to The Daily Briefing that Everton midfielder Amadou Onana was his number one objective for this summer.

The Onana deal is getting complicated. Everton has informed Barca that they will not accept less than 60M for the player, while Barcelona will not offer more than 40M. @sport pic.twitter.com/vJ2IUEy5bT

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 26, 2024

The Senegalese is one amongst a number of options that Barcelona are evaluating for a summer move, but he is still one of the most appreciated options by the remaining members of the transfer committee in Catalonia.

With Onana, the main issue is likely to be his asking price. Recent reports claim that Arsenal and Manchester United are Barcelona’s competition, and they are willing to pay Everton’s asking price, whereas as Barcelona will have to negotiate a lower fee due to their economic constraints.

This article first appeared on Football Espana and was syndicated with permission.

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