Barcelona are linked with a host of summer targets, including a player believed to be close to joining Arsenal.
Lionel Messi
Barcelona manager Xavi has spoken publicly about some of the club's summer transfer targets. He also raised the possibility of Raphinha leaving the club as well as the possibility of being robbed of the transfer rights from Arsenal.
Barca prepares for another busy summer after winning La Liga this season. As always, they were linked with a large number of players before the transfer window opened. There is no bigger name than Lionel Messi and he will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of his contract. Xavi insists he wants the Argentine superstar to return to Camp Nou.
He said a decision would be made in the next few days. Xavier says:
"Leo Messi will decide his future next week. He has 100% of my consent to join the team. "He knows we're ready to welcome him, nothing has changed and we have a chance. We want Leo here. Let him decide. I'm willing to put him in my system. ."
Raphinha has been linked with an exit just a year after joining Leeds. He could find game time harder to come if Messi is involved. But Xavi insists the Brazilian is not for sale. I said:
"Raphinha is not on the market. He stays at Barcelona and will help us a lot.
"He's an important player for me and a really important player. He makes the difference."
Xavi is keen to sign a midfielder and is a fan of Wolves star Ruben Neves. He has dismissed reports of a move to young Brazilian star Vitor Roque, saying a striker is not his priority this summer.
He added:
"Ruben Neves is a good player. Will he fit our style of play? Let's wait and see. We have different names:
plan A, plan B and plan C. "Vitor Roque? A new striker is not a priority. We need a replacement [Sergio] Busquets, that's for sure. It's a priority."
The other two Barca midfielders are Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi and Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich. Zubimendi is a reported target for Arsenal, with Spanish newspaper AS claiming in early May that a deal is "very close" to the Gunners. Xavi once again confirmed he is a fan of Zubimendi and Kimmich. I said:
“Zubimendi and Kimmich are great players in their positions.
"Of course Kimmich has a long-term contract with Bayern so the only chance is to negotiate with them. That depends on the club."
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