Barcelona president reveals position in need of strengthening in January transfer window
- Joan Laporta wants Barcelona to sign a new midfielder
- Reigning La Liga champions lost Gavi to a serious knee injury
- Financial Fair Play restrictions could limit their options
By Tom Gott
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed the club are planning to sign a new midfielder in the January transfer window to help them cope with Gavi's serious injury.
Gavi suffered a nasty knee problem during the November international break and will not play again this season, with the 19-year-old not even certain of recovering in time for the 2024/25 campaign either.
As a result, Barcelona are hoping to find a reinforcement in the January transfer window, although the club's well-known financial struggles will restrict them to loan deals.
"If we manage to make the fair play work [with La Liga], the idea is to have another midfielder to compensate for the loss of Gavi," Laporta told EFE.
"It would be a loan until the end of the season, like we did years ago with Edgar Davids, for example. I think before the end of the year we can create the space for a couple of deals we are working on."
Head coach Xavi admitted his desire to sign a new midfielder during Tuesday's press conference but warned those in charge of the search that any new signing would have to be technically similar to Gavi.
"We always want to reinforce the squad to look for the missing pieces," he said. "With Gavi's injury we would need a profile of this type, but finding a Gavi on the market is difficult.
"We will see about Fair Play. We all work together, with Deco and the president, to strengthen the team."
Barcelona have already spent the past few months trying to abide by the financial restrictions to complete the signing of 18-year-old striker Vitor Roque in January.
"The plan is that [Roque] arrives at the end of December or the beginning of January," Laporta explained.
"The idea is that he joins the team as soon as possible. Deco has explained to us he's a goal scorer and I think he will be good for us right now."
90min revealed earlier this month that Tottenham Hotspur's Giovani Lo Celso is a loan target, but it's unclear whether the Premier League side would sanction a temporary exit.
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