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Outgoing Barcelona legend Serio Busquets has named Manchester City's Rodri and Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi as his potential successors.
Busquets has announced that he will be leaving at the end of the season to take up a fresh challenge. He made 722 appearances for the club, winning three UEFA Champions League trophies, among other honors.
Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, Busquets was quick to name Rodri and Zubimendi as the ideal players for his role at Barcelona. The Spaniard claims that they have it in their DNA and are perfect for Xavi's style of play.
He said:
"I know there's a lot of talk about players, about Rodri, about Zubimendi. They are very good players and perhaps the ones that most match the DNA and the style that is wanted here but they are in another team, they belong to another club."
Martin Zubimendi is on Barcelona's radar as per journalist Gerard Romero. The 24-year-old came through Real Sociedad's academy and has made 142 senior appearances for the club.
Meanwhile, Manchester City are unlikely to sell Rodri as he is a vital part of Pep Guardiola's side. Since joining the club from Atletico Madrid in 2019, he has made 205 appearances for City, helping them win three Premier League titles.
Xavi sends warning to Barcelona board
Barcelona manager Xavi has already sent a warning to the Barcelona board and told them to sign a replacement for Sergio Busquets. He claimed that a central defensive midfielder is vital for his style to flourish at the club. He was quoted by Barca Universal as saying:
"Whoever is the most complete, whoever is the best pivot to replace Busquets. We depend on fair play and the economic situation. The profile must be a very decisive player, a player who is strong to win duels and is intelligent, technically sound. [That's] the natural replacement for Busi."
Xavi added that the club, unfortunately, don't have a ready replacement in their academy, La Masia, right now. He believes former Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu was perfect, but is no longer at the club.
"Yes, there have been some. Samper, Oriol Romeu? Yaya Toure had to leave, a spectacular player. We've been lucky that Busquets has never been injured. Players eventually decide that they have to leave. Now it's time to find a replacement because we're not sure if we have one at home," Xavi said.
"We have to find that piece if we want to compete next year. It's fundamental. Busi has been vital this year, very important. We have to find a very important player, it is key to be able to compete next season," he added.
Guido Rodriguez, Ruben Neves, Sofyan Amrabat, and N'Golo Kante have been linked with Catalan side by Gerard Romero, along with Arthur Vermeeren.
