Xavi is fixated on making Mohamed Salah his Barcelona No. 9 next season amid his Liverpool contract troubles. The Blaugrana are expected to spend big this summer despite their financial woes this year.
Several clubs are interested in signing Salah in the summer after he turned down the latest contract offer at Anfield. He will enter the final 12 months of his terms next season if he doesn't put pen to paper on a new deal.
It has put Liverpool in a precarious position, they can either adhere to the Egyptian's wishes and pay him over £500,000-a-week or sell him this summer to avoid losing him for nothing. Whatever choice will have dire consequences and Europe's elite are moving in.
As well as Barcelona, the likes of Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are interested, but Xavi believes he has the best chance. The new Barca boss is going about revitalising the club after their recent history in the wilderness under Ernesto Valverde, Quique Setien and Ronald Koeman.
That has included splashing out in the transfer window where Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres joined in January with free deals almost complete for Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen. A £500million loan from Goldman Sachs has allowed Barcelona to breathe after La Liga rules stipulated them last year, which led to the departure of Lionel Messi.
And according to Mundo Deportivo, Los Cules have made Salah a top target as they look at cheaper alternatives to Erling Haaland. The Norway international is desperately wanted by club president Joan Laporta but the total outlay of a deal will cost £300m.
Should they fail to prise Haaland away from Borussia Dortmund, which is very likely, the next target will be Salah. Xavi is reported to be fixated on the idea of playing the 29-year-old as a centre-forward in his new-look attack.
The former Chelsea star is comfortably one of the best players in the world at the moment after joining Liverpool in 2017 from Roma for around £40m. During his time on Merseyside, he has won the Champions League, the Premier League and the Club World Cup.
He currently is clear at the top of the league's top scorers with 20 in 27 matches, ahead of Reds teammate Diogo Jota and Tottenham star Heung-min Son - both on 13. But his contract woes mean that a transfer is very possible this year with plenty of clubs willing to fork out his requested salary.
Barcelona have other targets as well if they cannot sign Salah, with Mundo Deportivo also reporting that Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski could be eyed. The Poland international is in a similar position with the German giants and will his contract expire next year.
