"He does it spectacularly" - Pedri names perfect replacement for Sergio Busquets at Barcelona

Barcelona midfielder Pedri has named Frenkie de Jong as the perfect replacement for Sergio Busquets. The midfield maestro has been a key player for the Blaugrana in the middle of the park for 15 years now.

However, he could move on from Barcelona at the end of the season as per multiple reports. Busquets has his contract expiring at the end of the season and has been tipped to leave the Catalan giants in search of a new adventure.

Major League Soccer (MLS) giants Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham, are believed to be leading the race for the Spanish superstar.

Busquets has already announced his retirement from international football after Spain's exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup from the Round of 16.

Barcelona midfielder Pedri has named Frenkie de Jong as a capable replacement for Busquets in the No.6 role should he decide to leave the Blaugrana.

However, Pedri has also urged Busquets to extend his deal and stay beyond the summer. Pedri said, as quoted by Diario Sport:

“Frenkie has many qualities, we’ve seen that when he plays for the Netherlands in that position, and he does it spectacularly.”

“I think he could be a replacement in future, but hopefully, Busquets will extend.”

While Busquets' future at Barcelona seems to be up in the air, Frenkie de Jong's future at the club has also been much-discussed.

The Netherlands international has been linked with a move away from Camp Nou in recent months. De Jong was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer but the transfer failed to materialize.

The young Dutch midfielder has failed to impress in Blaugrana colors on a consistent basis following his €75 million from Ajax in 2019.

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Barcelona told to pay €15 million to sign France international

Barcelona have reportedly identified Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard as a target as they continue to search for a dependable right-back.

With Pavard's deal at the Allianz Arena set to expire in 2024, the Catalan giants can get the player for as little as €15 million.

The Frenchman is currently not in good terms with Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann and is expected to leave next summer.

Barca are desperately looking for a right-back with Hector Bellerin struggling to impress since his arrival in the summer.

Diogo Dalot and Juan Foyth are also being monitored by Xavi Hernandez but both could prove to be significantly costly compared to Pavard.