Barca preparing part-exchange deal to land Xavi and Iniesta's successor

'Los Cules' want to get their summer transfer business tied up as quickly as possible. Not even the impending World Cup will stop their pursuit.

One target that seems to be ever-growing in the press is that of Thiago Alcantara, a former Barca player who has been plying his trade in Germany with Bayern since 2013. 

It seems Ernesto Valverde wants Thiago to make a return to the Camp Nou, namely to replace the sizeable hole of both Xavi and Andres Iniesta's departures.

The midfielder has been key to Bayern continuing their dominance in the Bundesliga, winning five league titles and two domestic cups during his time in Germany.

Now, a change of scenary could be on the cards, and €50million plus Lucas Digne should be enough to convince the Bavarian club to allow Thiago to come back to Barcelona.

Digne has been a squad player for 'Los Cules', accumulating 1,338 minutes from 20 games last season and would therefore be the ideal man to sweeten any potential deal.

However, whether the deal is pushed through before the World Cup depends on Thiago. The midfielder is a key part of Julen Lopetegui's plans with Spain and could wait until after this summer's tournament to decide his future.