Barcelona have confirmed that they have reached an agreement in principle with Leeds United to sign Brazilian attacker Raphinha this summer.
The 25-year-old flew to Spain on Wednesday afternoon to undergo his medical ahead of completing his €58m (£49.2m) transfer to Camp Nou, which is set to be announced at some point this week.
Meanwhile, Barca are allegedly set to test Bayern Munich's resolve over talisman Robert Lewandowski, with one report claiming that they are preparing a final offer worth €50m (£42.3m) plus add-ons.
The 33-year-old recently returned to pre-season training with the perennial Bundesliga champions, but he has publicly expressed his desire to leave the club and has earmarked Catalonia as his preferred destination.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at how Xavi's Barcelona side could line up for the 2022-23 campaign with both Raphinha and Lewandowski in their starting XI.
Xavi is expected to stick with the 4-3-3 formation which he used throughout last season, and one of the first names on the teamsheet will be German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who kept 15 clean sheets across all competitions in 2021-22.
Summer signing Andreas Christensen, who has joined the club on a free transfer from Chelsea, will be hoping to gain regular minutes at the heart of Barcelona's defence, with Ronald Araujo the most likely candidate to start alongside him. Veteran Gerard Pique and youngster Eric Garcia are two more centre-back options at Xavi's disposal.
Sergino Dest and Sergio Roberto are both set to battle for a place at right-back, although they could potentially face competition from Cesar Azpilicueta, who has been linked with swapping Stamford Bridge for Camp Nou. Jordi Alba, meanwhile, will continue to operate at left-back where he has played on a regular basis over the last 10 years.
In midfield, new recruit Franck Kessie, who won the Serie A title with AC Milan last season, will attempt to displace experienced lynchpin Sergio Busquets in the deep-lying midfield role, although the Ivorian could also play slightly higher up the pitch.
The future of Frenkie de Jong has been well-documented this summer amid links with a potential move to Manchester United, but if the Dutchman is to remain at Camp Nou, he would be regarded as a key asset to Xavi's side.
Seventeen-year-old starlet Gavi elevated his game to new heights last season, featuring in 47 games across all tournaments, and he is set to play an important role again for the Catalan giants next season, while playmaker Pedri – who has been handed the number eight shirt – will be keen to put an injury-hit 2021-22 campaign behind him and cement his place in the first XI.
In attack, Raphinha has played almost every game for Leeds as an inverted right winger, consistently cutting inside onto his stronger left foot to strike at goal or set up his teammates, and the Brazilian, who scored 11 Premier League goals last term, would be expected to play in the same position at Barcelona.
The inclusion of Raphinha on the right may see Ousmane Dembele feature more frequently on the left flank. The 24-year-old was recently a free agent after his Barca contract expired last month, but the Frenchman has since put pen to paper on a new two-year deal. Both Raphinha and Dembele are set to face stern competition from Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati for regular starts in the final third.
As for Lewandowski, it will be no surprise to see the Polish striker lead the line should he complete a move to Barcelona. The 33-year-old may be entering the latter stage of his career but there is seemingly no sign of his goalscoring exploits slowing down, after netting at least 40 goals in each of the last seven seasons for Bayern Munich.
Memphis Depay and January arrival Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are two more attacking options available to Xavi, with the versatile duo able to play in any of the available positions across the front three.
Oliver Thomas
