Barcelona eye Neves, Zubimendi as potential Busquets replacements

Barcelona are currently considering potential replacements for Sergio Busquets, whose future away from the club where he’s spent his entire senior career so far appears imminent, and according to Marca, they are currently looking at Ruben Neves of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad.

At the age of 25, Neves would represent a more experienced option in general terms, though the Portugal international has never played in La Liga so far. His ability to read the game, resist opposition pressing, act the deep playmaking role and pass with notable accuracy reportedly had him on the radar of Liverpool this summer, before the Merseysiders eventually settled for former Barca man Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus.

Meanwhile, 23-year-old Zubimendi would be a more defence-minded choice, and that seems to be the main decision Barcelona need to make if they are to choose between him and Neves; whether they want a classic defensive midfielder or a player who’s more of a playmaker from deep.