May 11, BEIJING - Barcelona's brilliant midfield trio of Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets have won countless glories for the team. However, with the departure of these two legendary players, Barcelona has never stopped looking for their successors. This season, with the steady performance of new stars such as De Jong and Pedri, Barcelona is now working on finding a suitable successor for Busquets.
Professor Boo was a well-rounded performer on the field, always handling the ball skillfully and with top-notch attention to detail. But as he gets older, his shortcomings in athleticism become more and more obvious. In a game against Atletico Madrid, Busquets left the field with an injury, the Barcelona midfield instantly fell into chaos, and could not even organize an effective attack. Messi had to pull back from the front to get the ball, only slightly alleviated the team's embarrassing situation.
This incident has made Barcelona's senior management realize that the search for Professor Bo's replacement has been urgent. At present, Barcelona will focus on two midfielders: one is playing in Rennes' French starlet Camarwenga, who has been regarded as the target of Real Madrid and Bayern, but the possibility of Barcelona to introduce him is minimal; the other is Sassuolo midfielder Locatelli, who has been performing very well in Sassuolo this season, contributing 3 goals and 2 assists in 31 matches for the team. It is worth mentioning that Locatelli has also attracted the attention of Juventus, but there are differences between the two sides on the issue of transfer fees.
According to an analysis by Sport Internazionale, Barcelona are most likely to bring in Locatelli in the summer. Despite Juventus' dissatisfaction with Sassuolo's €45 million offer, Barcelona are sticking to that price. If Barcelona can sign Locatelli for 45 million euros, then they will be significantly strengthened in the midfield position. Juventus' interest in Locatelli is waning and Barcelona will face less competition this summer.
Despite not being a top tier player, Locatelli deserves recognition for his performance on the pitch. He handles the ball calmly and has an excellent long-range shooting ability, which is exactly what Barcelona desperately needs. Now, Barcelona is preparing for the funding, and the new president Laporta has been emphasizing the need to strengthen the team since he took office. Despite the team's financial situation, Barcelona is still capable of bringing in stars this summer.
If we can successfully bring in Locatelli, Barcelona's midfield lineup for the next 2~3 years will start to take shape. Prof. Bu may gradually fade out of the starting lineup. Whether or not the new midfield can recreate the glory of the Ha Baibu period, despite the challenges, is worth looking forward to.
