The financially strapped Catalan team wants to strengthen their midfield for the upcoming campaign. The team signed Oriol Romeu from Girona as a stopgap in the pivot position after losing Sergio Busquets to injury the previous season. The 32-year-old midfielder has only made 17 league starts for the Blaugrana as a result of the experiment’s severe failure. As a result, they have decided to go with three candidates for the pivot position.

The three players on the list, according to Mundo Deportivo, are Amadou Onana of Everton, Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich, and Guido Rodriguez of Real Betis. They will all be available for very different price points.

Rodriguez from Betis is most likely the new addition to the Blaugrana, given their financial difficulties and noncompliance with La Liga’s pay fair play regulations. The midfield player’s pay would be quite cheap, and he would be a free agent.

Bayern Munich veteran Kimmich sits as the second option due to his vast experience in the pivot position with the Bavarians. The German has always been linked with a move to Catalonia thanks to his development under former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. With his contract set to expire in 2025, Bayern could be forced to sell the 29-year-old this summer for a reported price of close to €35 million (£29.9m/$37.5m) so as to not lose him for free next year.

Onana remains the third option and would be the costliest of the three. His move would require a major sale before coming to fruition. The 22-year-old has received a lot of interest from all across Europe and would cost the Catalans close to or over €100 million (£85.5m/$107.2m).

Currently, Rodriguez remains the likeliest option to sign with the Blaugrana, and it has also been reported that the club will not stop looking for a pivot after the signing of the Argentine this summer. It has been reported that they look at Rodriguez as backup rather than the complete answer to their search for Busquets’ successor.

The team’s immediate goal is to finish the current campaign ahead of Girona, which puts them in second place in the league. Later today, they will play Valencia in an attempt to retake second place.