Barca say no to Tielemans

Midfielder Youri Tielemans, if Leicester do not keep him down, will be without a contract in June 2023. The competition for the player will be heated.

For example, Barca, Real Madrid and Arsenal are all after him. The Catalan side know that they are going to have to fight a lot if they are to go for Tielemans. The midfielder is still one of their preferred players despite the rest of Europe being interesed.

Tielemans is on Barca's watch-list because he fits the requirements they are looking for in January: he would arrive on a free, and he fulfills what Xavi wants to replace Busquets. But Barca have supposedly gone cold on the idea of signings the Belgian in recent hours. According to 'Marca', it is thought that he may have already chosen another of the clubs after him.

Therefore, Barcelona are looking at Zubimendi and Ruben Neves. These would be the most suitable replacements for Busquets.

Zubimendi recently extended at Real Sociedad, meaning it could cost just over £50 million, which is a very high fee for Barca's budget, who specifically wanted Tielemans because he would be free. As for Neves, they know that he has an inclination of being 'Barca', but the board do not think he is the key piece that the team is missing.

Only time will tell if the Catalan side will end up opting for one of the two. There is still time until June to think about which footballer could best replace the gap left by the captain.