Barcelona target open to Premier League offers amid Xavi doubts

Stuart Telford

12 Feb 2023 07:02 CST
3 min read

Barcelona are in the market for a long-term successor to Sergio Busquets, but they could miss out on a Premier League favourite with Xavi and his club bosses divided on whether to make a bid.

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Busquets is out of contract at Camp Nou at the end of the season, and has been linked with lucrative moves to the Middle East and MLS, although Xavi would like to offer his former teammate fresh terms.

But Busquets could still decide to leave, and having his €37 million per year gross pay off the books would also be welcome from a financial point of view, with Barca having been told by La Liga to trim €200m from their wage bill next summer.

READ: Fat chance: Barca must replace Ansu in Messi's iconic No.10 jersey

Wolves captain Ruben Neves has been linked as a possible replacement, but Xavi reportedly has his doubts about the Portuguese.

Ruben Neves is a £100m player according to his manager 🤔 pic.twitter.com/B5zsvt18G7
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) April 7, 2022

Xavi prefers Zubimendi

"The coaching staff don't quite see Neves as a differential player and would prioritise investing the money in other positions and, above all, finalising Busquets' renewal," write Diario AS.

"In the event that the captain decides to leave Barca, Xavi prefers the profile of another type of midfielder. His dream is [Martin] Zubimendi, although the club has made it clear to him that, for now, this investment is unattainable."

READ: Would Ruben Neves really help Barcelona?

Neves' agent Jorge Mendes has a good working relationship with Barcelona and is understood to have offered the Catalan giants the first option on his player, whose priority is also a move to Camp Nou.

If Xavi doesn't want him, Neves is understood to be open to a move within the Premier League, though, with Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle also linked with a move for the Wolves man in recent weeks.

Neves is rated at €44.2m by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, but could be available for a cut-price fee in the summer with his contract at Molineux due to expire in June 2024.