Barcelona is reportedly trying to replace outgoing captain Sergio Busquets by making a bid for Villarreal midfielder Dani Parejo.
The 34-year-old Parejo has played in more than 450 La Liga games for Valencia, Villarreal, Getafe, and briefly for Real Madrid.
The Spain international, along with recent addition Ilkay Gundogan, who joined the team from Manchester City, may be seen as an experienced leader capable of filling the void left by Busquets.
Barcelona has reportedly offered Parejo a one-year contract with an optional one-year extension as a temporary midfield fix, according to Jijantes FC.
According to AS, Parejo has a clause in his Villarreal contract that allows him to leave for a more powerful club, and there hasn’t been any discussion of a contract extension with the Yellow Submarine.
Another seasoned player in the Barcelona group
Despite the loss of Busquets and Jordi Alba, Xavi now has a number of experienced players at his disposal with the addition of Gundogan.
In a team that also features elite young talent like Pedri and Gavi, as well as Sergi Roberto and Robert Lewandowski, Parejo may be a more immediate fix.
Given his significance to Villarreal, it is unclear whether Parejo would accept a rotational role at Barcelona, where options for central midfield include Gundogan, Frenkie De Jong, Pedri, Gavi, Roberto, and Franck Kessie.
If Parejo plays a deeper midfield role, he could fill the void left by Busquets and allow Pedri and Gundogan to advance further while also providing experienced, quality depth.
Given his advanced age, Xavi might find himself in need of a defensive midfielder once more in a year, and Parejo lacks the physicality Busquets brought to the position of number six.
Although it seems unlikely that the Spaniard will play a role as significant as his current one at Villarreal, it is still unclear whether he will want to leave Valencia after living there for the previous 12 years.
