Xavi Would Accept Ruben Neves Only If He Arrives As Franck Kessie’s Replacement

According to journalist Gerard Romero, Xavi would welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves at Barcelona only if he arrives as a replacement for a certain Franck Kessie, not Sergio Busquets.

Xavi has been quite vocal about his desire to sign a capable pivot now that Busquets has decided to call time on his Barcelona career. In this regard, players such as Joshua Kimmich, Sofyan Amrabat, and Martin Zubimendi have been said to be targeted.

Neves, on the other hand, is someone who is ready to join Barcelona at any time. We have reported before that the Portugal international has already agreed personal terms with the Blaugrana and is ready to wait for the team to make a final decision.

In fact, the possibility of signing Neves has been on Barça’s table for weeks. All this happened after the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, met with the Barcelona board to discuss the possibility of the transfer.

For the moment, there is absolutely no way that Neves would be acquired as Busquets’ replacement. On the other hand, however, the manager will consider him if Kessie leaves the team in the summer.

Kessie’s future at Barcelona has been in limbo ever since the January transfer market. Given the team’s current state of finances, there are high chances that the team might as well cash in on him if there is a substantial offer on the table.

Interestingly, the former Milan midfielder has attracted plenty of interest from the Italian Serie A.

So if the Ivory Coast international leaves, the manager will want someone to fill the void and this is where Neves comes into the picture. At the moment, the midfielder only has Barcelona on his mind, but it remains to be seen if the situation changes.