Club football will go into a hiatus now with the FIFA World Cup upon us and the break will grant teams the time to plan and prepare for the upcoming January transfer window.
And as per Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona too are set to have a meeting to discuss their schemes for the upcoming window over the next few days.
The report states that manager Xavi Hernandez will be flying out to Qatar to attend the World Cup in an ambassadorial role, having had close ties with the Qatari royal family from his days as a player and manager in the country.
Prior to that, though, the 42-year-old will meet with Barcelona’s transfer chiefs Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff to chalk out their steps for the January window.
President Joan Laporta has himself claimed that the team will be strengthened in January and the manager will now meet with the directors to discuss positions needing reinforcements and the targets for those roles.
First and foremost, Xavi is believed to be seeking a new right-back in the winter, which is completely understandable. Hector Bellerin has not delivered since arriving in the summer while Sergi Roberto has been bogged down by injuries again.
It has forced Xavi to turn to players like Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde as makeshift right-backs and the manager is keen on addressing this issue.
Following that, the Barça icon also seeks to sign a midfielder who can play both as a pivot or in an interior position.
The report suggests that ideally, the Catalans would prefer to sign an interior midfielder in January and bring in a player for the pivot position in the summer when Sergio Busquets is expected to leave.
Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan has emerged as a possible target for this role, due to his versatility and the fact that he will be entering the final six months of his contract.
There have been talks of a new centre-back following Gerard Pique’s retirement. But Xavi is said to be happy with how Marcos Alonso has performed in the position and hence a new central defender is not seen as a priority as of now.
The focus will be on bringing in a right-back and a midfielder who can operate both as an interior or as a pivot.