Barcelona urgently looking for centre-back to replace Pique

Defender Gerard Pique ended this season with 40 appearances to his name. He started 36 of them, which shows that he is an indisputable starter for the Catalan giants. 

But Barca are aware that Pique is now 35 and that, logically, his performances will not be as good as time passes. In fact, at the end of this season, he has had injury problems which have made him miss the odd match.

'Mundo Deportivo' reports that Barca are really satisfied with Gerard Pique, but they understand that is now time to look for another reliable central defender from elsewhere. The club have no doubts over Pique's effort and commitment, which is 100%, but they do over whether his body will be able to cope with the demands of top level football for much longer.

All of that has led to the Catalan club making a decision: they urgently need to sign a central defender this summer.

According to this paper, Xavi's favourites for the role are Jules Kounde and Kalidou Koulibaly. Of these two, the first choice for Xavi is the Sevilla man because of his youth, he already knows La Liga and because of his qualities.

There is stiff competition for both Kounde and Koulibaly and so Barca also have other options. They are Inigo Martinez of Athletic Bilbao and Romangoli of AC Milan. The Italian's contract expires this summer so he could move to the Camp Nou for free.

Pique, however, feels fit enough to keep on playing. In fact, he is thinking of returning to the Spanish national team to play in the World Cup in Qatar. If his body allows him, he will promise to keep on giving his all on the pitch.