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Barcelona's Sergio Busquets 'tempted by MLS move'

Sergio Busquets 'tempted by MLS move'
© Reuters
Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets is reportedly tempted by the idea of a move to MLS when his contract at Camp Nou expires in the summer.

Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets is reportedly tempted by the prospect of moving to an MLS side in 2023.

The 34-year-old has entered the final season of his contract at Camp Nou and is increasingly likely to leave the Catalan giants as a free agent next summer.

Busquets has captained the Blaugrana XI under Xavi this term and has remained an integral player despite his advancing years, starting four out of six La Liga games so far.

However, Gavi and Pedri have both emerged to become regular starters for Barcelona, while Frenkie de Jong and Franck Kessie also represent more youthful options.

As a result, Busquets's trophy-laden career with Barcelona could soon come to an end, but he is expected to honour his contract with Xavi's side before pondering his next career move.

Spain midfielder Sergio Busquets pictured in July 2021© Reuters

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Spain international is on the radar of several MLS clubs, with Inter Miami in particular pushing to secure his signature.

Romano adds that Busquets could be open to the idea of a move to the United States for his swansong, and MLS teams have been attempting to prise him away from Barcelona for over a year now.

Busquets is still thought to be held in high regard by Xavi, whom he shared a dressing room with as a player for several years after initially joining the Barcelona academy from Jabac in 2005.

Since breaking into the first team, Busquets has amassed 18 goals and 43 assists from 685 games in all competitions, sitting third in the club's all-time appearance list behind Lionel Messi (778) and Xavi (767).

The veteran Spaniard has won a total of 32 major honours during his time at Camp Nou, including eight La Liga titles, three Champions Leagues and three Club World Cups.

Barcelona's Sergio Busquets celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates on May 1, 2022© Reuters

Barcelona are apparently preparing for Busquets's eventual departure by drawing up a list of potential successors, and a number of names have been linked with moves in recent days.

Wolverhampton Wanderers lynchpin Ruben Neves and Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi are both understood to be on Barcelona's radar, as is Rennes' Lovro Majer.

Twenty-four-year old Majer has primarily operated as a number 10 during his time in Ligue 1, but Barcelona supposedly feel that he can still come good as a replacement for Busquets.

A fee of €60m (£52.4m) may be required to prise Majer away from Roazhon Park, and Barcelona are also said to have distanced themselves from links with Chelsea's Jorginho, who is out of contract next summer alongside Busquets.

Barcelona return to action following the international break with a trip to Mallorca on October 1 before travelling to San Siro to meet Inter Milan in the Champions League three days later.

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Lovro Majer in action for Rennes on September 15, 2022
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Celta Vigo125161820-216
11Real Sociedad124351010015
12GironaGirona124351517-215
13Sevilla124351217-515
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe12174810-210
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97


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