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7 months ago
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After enduring a challenging season marked by a leaky defence and collective shortcomings, Barcelona have made signing a quality defensive midfielder their utmost priority.
Having failed to replace Sergio Busquets adequately last summer, the Catalan giants aim to provide their backline with greater protection next season.
And the top two names on the club’s wishlist are Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich and Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi.
In a major update, reports today claimed that sporting director Deco had met with Zubimendi’s representatives earlier this week to discuss a potential signing.
Meeting has not gone down well with Real Sociedad
However, according to SPORT this meeting between Barcelona and Zubimendi has not gone down well with Real Sociedad.
The Basque club is well aware that Barcelona are simply one of Zubimendi’s many suitors, but they feel it is wrong that this appointment is being made so soon before the two teams’ encounter at Montjuic.
Real Sociedad are battling with Betis to retain their spot in the Europa League, with merely a two-point difference As a result, they consider the Barcelona game crucial and not the time for diversions.
Zubimendi is a top target for Barcelona. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)Signing will not come about easily
Coach Xavi Hernandez’s overwhelming interest in the player suggests Barcelona will try their best to secure Zubimendi’s acquisition, but the player’s hefty release clause of €60 million poses some problems.
The report adds that the Catalans are not well-placed to muster up those funds at this point in time, given their financial situation.
Moreover, Zubimendi has a tremendous number of suitors from all over Europe. Competition from heavyweights in the Premier League and potentially Bayern Munich serves as another deterrent for Barça.
As such, Barcelona have much ground to cover before they can be seen as front-runners in the pursuit of Zubimendi’s signature.
