Xavi insists on another midfielder and Gündogan's the most viable target

Last Tuesday, during his talk at the Círculo Ecuestre de Barcelona, Barcelona president Joan Laporta gave clues as to what he thinks the squad should look like next season. He said they wanted to sign a full-back and a striker. The possible arrival of a centre-back would depend on whether an opportunity is found. He wanted to rule out the signing of a midfielder. Perhaps he did this on purpose, as he is aware that the sporting directors are working on various names for this line and are prepared to make signings if LaLiga finally allows their registration.

Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff have been working for months to fulfill Xavi Hernandez's wishes and they know that the coach from Terrassa wants more reinforcements than those announced by Laporta. Xavi wants to strengthen in midfield. He considers it fundamental for the group to take a leap in quality and, after fighting for all the titles in Spain, to be able to compete again to win in Europe.

In this sense, German international Ilkay Gündogan is more than under control. He is a player that Xavi likes because he can play both inside and help in the construction from the centre of midfield. He has the experience to compete at the highest level. He should find it easy to adapt to the way Barça play because he has worked under Pep Guardiola. And because he continues to be important at City, a team with which he has played 35 games this season. It is a fact that shows that, at 32 years of age, he is at a more than remarkable level

Gündogan, moreover, is a signing that suits Barça's financial situation and the club's problems with LaLiga's Financial Fair Play, as he would arrive as a free agent. In fact, a few weeks ago the player's uncle, Ilhan Gündogan, visited Barcelona and is in charge of handling the affairs of the German international, who has a salary of around €10 million per season at City.

TOUGHER OPTIONS

Gündogan is currently the most viable option to reinforce Barça's midfield as Xavi wants, but the coach has not forgotten about a player like Bernardo Silva, who the club wanted to sign last summer. He would be the player who would make Pedri's absence less noticeable than it is now.

The problem remains that he has a contract until 2025 and the demands of Manchester City are not within Barça's reach. The same goes for Martin Zubimendi, the Real Sociedad player with a €60m buy-out clause whom the Barça coach sees as the ideal replacement for Sergio Busquets. The midfield reshuffle will also depend on the captain's decision.