When Xavi was in charge, Spanish side Barcelona were looking to add a new central midfielder to their squad and those plans have not changed even after Hansi Flick’s appointment.
The new manager has drawn up his list of requirements for the summer transfer window and bringing in a new central midfielder is one of the priorities for Deco and Co. Barcelona currently have four central midfielders in the form of De Jong, Fermine Lopez, Gundogan and Sergi Roberto but at least two of them will be shown the door in the coming weeks so proper reinforcements will have to be brought in before the 2024/25 season begins.
The Catalans have been linked with several names in the previous two or three months so we decided to look at the top five midfielders who are currently on Barca’s radar and their chances of moving to Camp Nou.
Martin Zubimendi:
The Real Sociedad midfielder was one of Xavi’s most desired targets for the summer window and he is still wanted by Barcelona but the club is unlikely to land the 25-year-old primarily due to his €60 million release clause.
Apart from Barcelona, Zubimendi is also wanted by teams like Arsenal and Bayern Munich and a move to either of these two clubs is more probable for Martin Zubimendi. No doubt Zubimendi is a world-class talent but we don’t see Barcelona gathering €60 million before Bayern or Arsenal make a formal offer.
Amadou Onana:
The Everton man has also been valued at around €60 million but the Toffees need to offload a few players to avoid any further FFP breaches so there is a high probability that Onana will be sold for far less than what Everton are presently demanding.
As per some rumours, Barcelona are ready to spend €40 million on Amadou Onana which is lower than his current market value however, Everton’s desperate need to balance their books might very well force them to accept this offer. Having said that, Barcelona will have to battle Manchester United because the Red Devils have also been strongly linked with the 22-year-old.
Mikel Merino:
Merino is another Sociedad midfielder who has been on Barcelona’s radar and since his contract with the Spanish side expires in 2025, the Catalans are hoping to land him for a fee of just €25 million.
He is perhaps the most economical midfield target for Barca this summer and if the club misses out on their primary targets there’s a big possibility that Flick will have to be content with Merino.
The central midfielder has made 8 goal contributions in 32 La Liga games this season but there are major doubts on whether he has the talent to play alongside players like Gundogan and FDJ.
Joshua Kimmich:
Hansi Flick knows Joshua Kimmich very well and he will definitely be someone who will be badly wanted by the new manager.
By the looks of it, Kimmich is not going to sign a new contract and if he does not change his mind then Bayern are definitely selling him this summer. With his contract expiring in 2025, the German international will also be available for a bargain value but even then Barcelona will have to be ready to spend around €50-55 million.
Kobbie Mainoo:
Barcelona are about to make an audacious swap deal offer for Kobbie Mainoo in exchange for Raphinha but amongst all their summer targets, this move is the least probable.
There’s no way Manchester United will be ready to send Mainoo out after the wonderful season he just had – not at least in a straight swap deal for Raphinha.
