A tumultuous ride characterizes this season for Barcelona.

The La Liga heavyweights are in an uncomfortable position, trailing Real Madrid by ten points and sitting in fourth place.

Therefore, their pursuit of domestic glory seems more difficult than ever before. Problems have only become worse after 19-year-old prodigy Gavi hurt his knee.

A torn anterior cruciate ligament left the Spain player noticeably shaken back in November. As the divisive and emotionally charged midfielder suffered the injury, it was hard not to feel bad for him.

Despite the Blaugrana’s deeper roster, Gavi played an integral part in Xavi’s lineup as a dynamic midfielder. With their young sensation out for the remainder of the season, they may need to bring in a successor in January.

Short-term cut-price solution

Achieving this is still easier said than done. Once again, Barcelona are facing financial difficulties. The summer’s implementation of a new “financial lever” has proved unsuccessful.

Accordingly, the club is allegedly still counting on a new investor to pay them more than $42 million. An expensive transfer, therefore, is not feasible.

There is, nevertheless, cause for hope in this situation. The injury to Gavi will free up some cash, since Barca may spend 80 percent of his salary on transfers. While it may not be sufficient to conclude a major deal, it may surely pave the way for a loan signing.

Over the following six months, Xavi may be able to get a bargain option to play in the middle of the field. Accordingly, Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing their former player, who has yet to register any game time this season.

The injury to Gavi has caused squad issues for Xavi
The injury to Gavi has caused squad issues for Xavi

Alcantara back to Camp Nou?

Former Blugrana member Thiago Alcantara is said to be the frontrunner on the club’s list of potential new signings.

This is per The Mirror. After completing his training at the renowned La Masia program, the 32-year-old went on to win ten trophies with the first team.

The list includes four La Liga championships, the Champions League win, and the Club World Cup. But in the summer of 2013, he joined Bayern Munich after working his way up and reaching the first squad in Catalonia.

The summer of 2020 saw his arrival to Liverpool after a fruitful tenure with the German powerhouses. Since moving to England, the 32-year-old’s life has been anything from smooth sailing due to a string of injuries.

He is still a key cog in the Reds’ team, but where he goes from here is anybody’s guess. By June, the Spaniard’s time with the Merseyside club will have come to an end. A new contract offer from Liverpool is quite improbable considering his injury history and inability to play since the season’s beginning.

Although Barcelona is keen on re-signing him, they will face competition from Atletico Madrid.

The Colchoneros see him as a potential short-term reinforcement that may work well. Thanks to his expertise and his background playing in Spain, the player could find his groove back in La Liga without much trouble.

Photo credit: IMAGO / AFLOSPORT