Barcelona are in the market for a defensive midfielder this summer, as they look for a replacement for Sergio Busquets.
The club have been strongly linked with a move for Oriol Romeu, while Barça are also keeping tabs on the situation growing around Sofyan Amrabat.
One other midfielder Barcelona were targeting earlier in the window was Guido Rodriguez. The Real Betis star was gaining weight to become the ideal short-term replacement for Busquets last month.
But since then, there has been no real sign of Barcelona’s interest in the Argentine. The club have instead shifted their focus to Romeu.
A recent report from AS has provided an illuminating insight into Barcelona’s pursuit of Rodriguez, suggesting that head coach Xavi Hernandez had informed the player of his interest back in April.
“Don’t commit yourself to anyone; we like you a lot,” Xavi reportedly told Rodriguez in April. However, later in the summer, neither Deco nor Mateu Alemany ended up calling the Argentine, which highlights a difference of opinion between the coaching staff and the technical staff.
Of late, there have been some who have criticised Xavi for talking to opposition players. Real Sociedad’s director Roberto Olabe was unhappy with the Barça boss for speaking to Martin Zubimendi, while Girona were angry about him talking to Romeu before negotiations started.
While Guido Rodriguez could still prove to be an option for Barcelona, it is clear that the Argentine is not the club’s first choice. In fact, a move for Romeu is now said to be close to completion, indicating that the interest in the World Cup winner is no longer valid.
In the meantime, Barcelona are also in search of a new right-back in the market. The likes of Joao Cancelo and Ivan Fresneda as potential options.
