Barcelona's five-man free transfer midfield shortlist for 2023
FT Desk
- 11 Oct 2022 18:13 BST
- 3 min read
Jorginho's agent has been spotted in Barcelona, but the Chelsea man isn't the only player in his position Barcelona have on their radar to replace Sergio Busquets.
Busquets' Barca contract expires next June, as does Jorginho's at Chelsea, and Xavi is understood to have targeted the Blues' midfield metronome and a medium-term successor to Busquets, whom he is four years younger than despite hitting 30 last December.
Busquets has been Barcelona's most-used midfielder this season, his combination of cool under pressure and distribution proving difficult to replace at the base of Xavi's midfield.
Jorginho signing/ruining a fan’s Pulisic jerseys 💀 pic.twitter.com/jIjkxfV9bG
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Frenkie de Jong remains on the books after turning down a move to Manchester United in the summer, and the Dutchman could potentially move inside to take Busquets' place in the team, but United, Chelsea and others remain interested in his services, and Barca could yet cash in on him next summer.
With Lionel Messi a primary target for the Blaugrana, and the club not 100 per cent clear of the €1.35 billion debt which saw him leave on a free to PSG in the first place last summer, Barca are understood to be targeting Bosman transfers next summer, Jorginho first among the midfielders.
Santos spotted
"There are possible destinations in Spain for Jorginho," report Tutto Mercato. "The Chelsea midfielder's contract is soon to expire with the English club and his agent Joao Santos has been spotted in Barcelona in recent days. A concrete interest from the Spanish side can't be ruled out, with contact between the parties likely."
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Barca have other options is they cannot persuade Jorginho of their project, however. The Brazilian's Chelsea teammate N'Golo Kante is also out of contract at Stamford Bridge, as is Youri Tielemans at Leicester, although the competition on the Belgian is high.
Ilkay Gundogan and Naby Keita are also options. Both are out of contract - at Manchester City and Liverpool respectively - next summer, and boast impressive pass completion percentages even if the latter isn't as used by Liverpool as he might like to be.
