Xavi Hernandez left Barcelona after winning the treble in 2014/15 and the club have been looking for a replacement ever since. On Monday, the Catalan giants announced the signing of Paulinho, but will the Brazilian international join a list of players who have failed to live up to expectations?
Barcelona have now spent more than more than €100m in their attempts to replace Xavi at the Camp Nou, but it seems that Josep Maria Bartomeu's club are yet to fill the hole in midfield left by the Spanish maestro.
Since his departure, the Catalan Giants have signed Arda Turan, Andre Gomes and now, Paulinho, but none of them appear to possess the same quality that Xavi had in his prime.
Turan arrived at the Camp Nou for €34m in the summer of 2015, but the Turkish International was only able to play in January 2016 because of Barcelona's transfer ban. Since then, however, the ex-Atletico man has failed to make an impact and looks set to leave the club before the end of the current transfer window.
Gomes was the next man brought to the club, with Barca paying a hefty fee of €50m for the Portuguese international's services. But the 24-year-old is yet to prove his worth at the Camp Nou and has failed to hold down a regular place in the starting XI.
Now, Paulinho has signed in a deal worth €40m, but there are question marks over Ernesto Valverde's latest signing after he failed to impress in the Premier League with Tottenham.
Xavi recently made it clear who he believes should play in Barcelona's midfield, saying Nice's Jean Seri would be a success at the Camp Nou.
In an interview with 'Eurosport', the club legend said, 'he would do very well at Barça. He can play anywhere in the middle. Seri is fantastic. I can say, without hesitation, that he has what we call Barca DNA.'