Barcelona have lost both club icon Andres Iniesta and Paulinho this summer, leaving them short in midfield in order to compete on multiple fronts.
As noted by Sky Sports, Iniesta bid an emotional farewell to the Nou Camp at the end of last season prior to joining Vissel Kobe, while The Guardian add that Paulinho opted to rejoin Guangzhou Evergrande.
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Barcelona have gone some way to filling those voids by splashing out €40m on Arthur, as per BBC Sport, but in terms of having enough quality and depth at Ernesto Valverde’s disposal to compete for various major trophies, more is arguably needed at the Nou Camp.
Stalwarts Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic will be expected to play a crucial role as always, while perhaps the likes of Rafinha and Denis Suarez will be given more responsibility, with the former impressing during his loan spell with Inter last season.
However, as reported by AS, it’s suggested that Barcelona have set their sights on PSG’s Adrien Rabiot and Ajax youngster Frenkie de Jong, with the young pair set to cost €40m and €50m respectively.
Both players are seemingly well suited to the Catalan giants, as they possess the technical quality, vision and passing ability needed to fit into the style of play at the Nou Camp while given their respective ages, they can be seen as long-term solutions in the midfield department.
With that in mind, it would seem to make sense for Barcelona to swoop for both, but it remains to be seen whether or not agreements can be reached with the two clubs in question to get deals over the line.
Further, should the pair arrive, it remains to be seen what that would mean for the likes of Andre Gomes, Aleix Vidal and perhaps even Rafinha and Suarez, who have all been restricted to bit-part roles for the La Liga champions.