Barcelona draw up five-man midfield shortlist for 2024, including Leicester City star

Barcelona have lined up potential targets for the holding midfield position for the summer of 2024.

The Catalan giants saw Sergio Busquets bid farewell over the summer after spending more than a decade at the club of his life.

The Spaniard was untouchable during his time with the Blaugrana, as no player came close to toppling off his throne.

Hence, the Blaugrana had an insurmountable task of finding his worthy successor. Although they considered an array of high-profile names during the summer window, their poor financial state prevented them from signing their desired targets.

As a result, the Catalan giants were forced to settle for cost-effective transfers, with Xavi choosing Girona’s Oriol Romeu as his hand-picked target.

Although there were initial doubts over his potential – besides the fact he did cost only €5 million, the former La Masia graduate quashed them by quickly adapting to Xavi’s system.

The 32-year-old established himself as one of the pivotal figures for Xavi, starting in all his first seven games in La Liga.

However, things have taken a slight downturn of late, with Romeu’s performances not up to the mark in recent games.

The Spaniard had a lacklustre outing against Porto in the Champions League last week, which saw him lose his starting sport in the subsequent games against Sevilla and Granada.

Although Xavi sees Romeu as integral to his plans, the Catalan giants are preparing to sign a new central defensive midfielder in January or possibly next summer.

The primary reason is Romeu’s age, as he is in the back end of his career, and the Blaugrana wants someone younger who can help the club in the long run.

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Additionally, Barca’s injury crisis – Pedri and Frenkie de Jong are currently sidelined – has prompted them to add more depth to the midfield.

Barcelona have been keeping close tabs on Royal Antwerp’s teenage midfield sensation Arthur Vermeeren, who continues to showcase his quality with his impressive performances in the Champions League.

Another player the La Liga champions are dreaming of signing is Brazil’s hottest sensation Gabriel Moscardo, who is turning heads with his stellar performances at Corinthians.

Diario Sport also reveals that Real Betis duo Sergi Altimira and Guido Rodriguez are also on Barca’s wishlist.

The report also adds that the Catalan giants are also monitoring Wilfred Ndidi’s situation at Leicester City as his contract runs out next summer.

The Foxes, who currently top the Championship table, are also willing to sell him in January in order to extract a transfer fee.

Barca are expected to face tough competition from Bayern Munich for Ndidi, as the German giants are also in the market for a defensive midfielder.