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Xavi reveals Barça's mercato priority

19/05/23 15:32 by Fabien Borne

Present in a press conference this Friday, on the eve of the match Barça - Real Sociedad, Xavi Hernandez revealed the priority of his club for the next mercato.

If all Barça dreams of a return of Leo Messi, at the end of his contract on June 30, the priority mercato of Xavi is elsewhere. Sergio Busquets will indeed leave this summer and will leave a big gap in the position of defensive midfielder. In a press conference, the Barcelona coach confirmed that the priority of Barça is to replace "Busi".

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"Is it the priority? Yes, completely. Now that we know that Busquets is leaving, the priority is to recruit in this position of defensive midfielder, it is logical," assured Xavi Hernandez. A few minutes earlier, a journalist asked Xavi what he thought of Martin Zubimendi, the defensive midfielder of Real Sociedad, who has long been presented as a possible successor to Busquets at Barça.

Xavi praises Zubimendi, but...

"Zubimendi is an extraordinary sentinel. He understands the game very well. He is dominant with and without the ball. He wins duels, he is an extraordinary player in this position. He understands the model that we like in Barça", replied Xavi Hernandez, very complimentary.

Problem, Zubimendi has extended with the Basque club until June 2027 and has a release clause set at 60 million euros. According to the Spanish media Relevo, Zubimendi is an "impossible love" for Barça because of the amount of this clause and the most credible track so far leads to Sofyan Amrabat, the Moroccan defensive midfielder of Fiorentina, who is estimated between 25 and 30 million.

Other media in Catalonia, such as Mundo Deportivo, say that Barça is dreaming of recruiting Joshua Kimmich this summer and that he is open to a departure. But according to the German press, Bayern Munich has no intention of parting with its midfielder, who is under contract until 2025.

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