Sergio Busquets seems likely to depart Barcelona when his contract expires at the end of the season, after an 18-year association with the club.
The 34-year-old looks set to embark on a new challenge away from Catalonia, and will leave a big hole that club officials must fill. Busquets operates in the pivot role in Xavi’s 4-3-3 system, so a player of a similar mould will be required.
Marcelo Brozovic is one name that has been linked with a move to Barca as a replacement for Busquets, and journalist Gerard Romero believes that the Croatian international wants to move to the La Liga leaders from Inter Milan.
However, another name has Romero believes that Barcelona are considering as a replacement for their captain is Villarreal’s Dani Parejo. The 33-year-old has played in La Liga for the majority of his career, having come through the ranks at Real Madrid. He spent nine years at Valencia before moving to the Yellow Submarine in 2020.
Despite his age, Parejo shows no signs of losing his quality, and could make the step up to Barca. He typically operates as a deep lying player in Villarreal’s 4-3-3 under Quique Setien, so would likely to be able to adapt to Xavi’s system.
Romero reports that Barca will only consider a move for Parejo if Busquets leaves, meaning that a summer move is the only possibilty.
