To Keep Stars, Barca May Sell Stars—But Who?

BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 10: Arda Turan of FC Barcelona conducts the ball during the Joan Gamper trophy match between FC Barcelona and UC Sampdoria at Camp Nou on August 10, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 10: Arda Turan of FC Barcelona conducts the ball during the Joan Gamper trophy match between FC Barcelona and UC Sampdoria at Camp Nou on August 10, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
EIBAR, SPAIN - JANUARY 22: Denis Suarez of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the La Liga match between SD Eibar and FC Barcelona at Ipurua stadium on January 22, 2017 in Eibar, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
EIBAR, SPAIN – JANUARY 22: Denis Suarez of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the La Liga match between SD Eibar and FC Barcelona at Ipurua stadium on January 22, 2017 in Eibar, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) /

Who Could Replace Rakitic?

  • Denis Suarez: He is improving game by game, and though he may not possess the physical qualities of Rakitic, he is probably the like-for-like replacement option. He offers creativity from the center of the park, and can be groomed into a tough-tackler at the ripe age of 23.
  • Rafinha: The Brazilian is more of a wide attacker by trade. But, we’ve seen his brother develop into a reliable central midfielder at Bayern Munich, and there is a chance for Rafinha too. Or, Enrique could fiddle with his tactics—Sergio Busquets holding, Iniesta advanced with Rafinha and someone else spread wider in a diamond.
  • Sergi Roberto: The central midfielder-turned-fullback could be restored to his natural position if Vidal works out at right back or Barcelona find a proper replacement. If that is the case, he could possibly be the best option while Suarez stays as Iniesta’s understudy. He has a tenacity we’ve seen from defense coupled with a proclivity to attack. It would take some shuffling, but Roberto is not a bad option.