Barcelona ‘eye an Edgar Davids-style midfielder in January’ to provide aggression alongside Sergio Busquets… with Youri Tielemans and Ruben Neves on the club’s radar
- Barcelona are keen to bring in a hard-tackling midfielder at the turn of the year
- The Catalans have disappointed so far this season after an expensive summer
- It is believed Xavi wants to pair Sergio Busquets with a Edgar Davids-style recruit
- Davids transformed Barca’s midfield after arriving at the club in January 2004
- Now they are seeking a similar midfielder, such as Leicester star Youri Tielemans
Barcelona are on the hunt for a winter midfield recruit who could revive their season in similar fashion to iconic former player Edgar Davids.
It has been a frustrating first half of the campaign so far for Barca, who are failing to live up to expectations after forking out close to £150million in the summer transfer window despite their well-documented financial problems.
The arrivals of Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Raphinha, Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie were viewed as the injection of quality Xavi required to propel the Catalans back to the top of European football.
Barcelona are on the hunt for an Edgar Davids-style January recruit to turn their season around
It has been a frustrating season so far for Xavi’s side despite their expensive summer outlay
But that is not proving the case, with his side instead on the verge of a Champions League group-stage exit and trailing Real Madrid at the top of La Liga following a 3-1 El Clasico defeat on Sunday.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barca are already looking ahead to the January window despite their hefty outlay in the summer – and a midfielder is understood to be at the top of their wish list.
It is believed the Spanish outfit are seeking a reinforcement of the same ilk as Davids, who transformed their season when he rocked up at the Nou Camp on a six-month loan in January 2004.
Reports suggest Xavi wants to bring in an aggressive midfielder to pair with Sergio Busquets
Davids transformed a struggling Barca side when he rocked up at the Nou Camp in January ’04
The legendary Dutchman’s aggression and playmaking qualities shored up Frank Rijkard’s midfield in the second half of that season and allowed the likes of Ronaldinho, Javier Saviola and Patrick Kluivert to flourish in the final third; helping them win 15 games out of 20 after the winter break, secure a second-place finish and arguably save Rijkard’s job.
Now, 18 years on, Barca need another Davids-esque recruit to galvanise their squad, with Xavi desperate to pair Sergio Busquets with a hard-tackling playmaker in midfield, and there are a number of Premier League names on their radar.
Wolves’ Ruben Neves is said to be an option, with the Portuguese star set to enter the final year of his contract at Molineux next summer.
Agent Jorge Mendes has reportedly offered Neves to Barca, and while Wolves value him at around £40million there is hope that a loan deal could be struck in the New Year which includes an obligation-to-buy clause for next summer.
Leicester’s Youri Tielemans (L) and Wolves’ Ruben Neves (R) are two names on their shortlist
Leicester ace Youri Tielemans is another target for Nou Camp officials. The Belgian, who has the physical prowess to emulate Davids, is out of contract at the King Power in 2023, meaning Barca could land him on the cheap in January.
Chelsea’s Jorginho is also on the club’s shortlist, although he does not obtain the aggression and tackling qualities Xavi is seeking, while his team-mate N’Golo Kante may well have been the perfect candidate had he not picked up a hamstring injury which will keep him out for three to four months.
Nevertheless, Xavi’s top target is believed to be Martin Zubimendi, 23, who has become a key component of Real Sociedad’s midfield in recent years.
Yet it is for that reason that it could be difficult to land the one-cap Spain international, as he is under contract with the Basque side until 2027.
