Today, Xavi Hernandez could not avoid talking about the first potential Barcelona deals next summer during the press conference held today in preparation for the Catalan team’s match in La Liga.
Barcelona’s rival tomorrow at Camp Nou is Real Sociedad, who includes Zubimendi in the midfield. The Barcelona coach has never hidden that he is a footballer who loves him and that he is one of his requests from the sports administration to replace Busquets.
Today he praised the player and made it clear that he sees him as able to integrate into Barcelona’s style of play. Xavi said: “Zubemendi is an extraordinary pivot. He dominates the game, with and without the ball. He wins duels, he’s an exceptional footballer in this position. He understands the model we love at Barcelona.”
The problem with his signature is the price. He has a €60m termination clause and Real Sociedad has already warned on more than one occasion that they have no intention of lowering his price. In addition, Zubemendi is a darling in the English Premier League as well.
Xavi, yes, continues to insist that the sports administration try to snatch his signature until the last minute, and for this reason Barcelona does not rule out offering players in exchange for persuading Real Sociedad to open negotiations.
Xavi insisted that signing with a defensive axis is a “priority” after the departure of Sergio Busquets. “Until now we didn’t know if Busquets would continue. The priority for next season is to sign a defensive midfielder.
The Barcelona coach also confirmed that he loves Real Sociedad as a team: “I love all of Real Sociedad’s team. Emanol is doing an extraordinary job. They are pressing, with a very high defensive line, they don’t lose balls.”
Source: Sport