Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has a plethora of options in the midfield department this season, but it appears that the club plan on bringing in more reinforcements in the area.
The Blaugrana roped in Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu this summer while Fermin Lopez is also now in the first-team dynamics.
But, according to Alfredo Martinez of SPORT, Barcelona believe that there is a requirement for another central midfielder in the pivot position and that is what they will be targeting next summer.
No natural backup for Romeu
Having lost Sergio Busquets this summer, Barcelona roped in Oriol Romeu to fill in as the team’s pivot midfielder for the ongoing campaign.
The 32-year-old has done a solid job so far, but there is no natural backup for him in the position in the first-team squad.
The likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Frenkie de Jong, and Sergi Roberto can play in the position but do not have the same profiles. As such, the technical staff at Barcelona believe that there is a need to sign another pivot midfielder.
There had been murmurs about a move in January itself, but it appears that the La Liga champions will wait until the summer to bring in reinforcements.
Guido Rodriguez well-liked at Barça
The report further goes on to add that Guido Rodriguez of Real Betis is someone who is well-liked as an option for the position at Barcelona.
The 29-year-old has been on the Blaugrana’s radar for some time now and will be a free agent at the end of the season, with his contract with Betis expiring.
Recent reports had suggested that a move for the Argentine international was completely ruled out, but it appears that it might not be the case entirely and that Rodriguez still remains on Barça’s agenda.
It remains to be seen if Barcelona do follow through on their interest in Rodriguez or look at other options come summer.