Barcelona head coach Xavi is reportedly keen to sign Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi as a replacement for Sergio Busquets.
It was announced last week that Busquets would end his trophy-laden 15-year professional career at Camp Nou when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Barcelona have been linked with a plethora of midfielders as they begin their hunt to find the heir to club legend Busquets, with Zubimendi believed to be high on their list of summer targets.
According to journalist Sique Rodriguez, via Barca Universal, the Catalan giants are 'desperate' to lure Zubimendi to Camp Nou this summer.
The report adds that Xavi wants to recruit the 24-year-old defensive midfielder at all costs, even though Barca could find it difficult to generate funds amid their well-documented financial problems.
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Zubimendi currently possesses a €60m (£52.9m) release clause in his Sociedad contract that runs until the summer of 2027.
Xavi has labelled Zubimendi "a great player" but he remained coy over Barca's reported interest in the Spaniard when addressing the media earlier this year.
Speaking ahead of Barcelona's 1-0 Copa del Rey win over Real Sociedad in January, Xavi said: "He is more physical and faster than Busi (Busquets), who is better technically, but it's not just Zubimendi, it's all the players in midfield.
"We have a great team visiting us. Zubimendi is a great player, [but] I don't like to talk about players under contract with other teams."
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Arsenal are another club who have been strongly linked with Zubimendi, although the one-cap Spain international recently played down rumours of a potential departure from the Reale Arena.
Zubimendi has spent his entire senior career at Real Sociedad, making a total of 139 appearances across all tournaments since his debut in 2016.
The Spanish lynchpin has come on leaps and bounds under the tutelage of manager Imanol Alguacil and has been a first-team regular this season, featuring in 40 games across La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Europa League.
Barca's pursuit of Zubimendi will likely depend on whether they can generate the £177m required to balance their books, with a recent report claiming that they are prepared to Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres, Jordi Alba and Franck Kessie this summer.
Oliver Thomas
