Xavi confirms club will look to sign replacement for Gavi in January transfer

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has confirmed that the club will seek to sign a replacement for their teen star Gavi in the January transfer window.

The 19-year-old suffered a complete tear of his ACL during Spain's Euro 2024 qualifier against Georgia, and will miss the rest of the campaign.

LaLiga rules allow the Catalan giants to bring in a replacement for up to 80% of the value of Gavi’s wages, and ahead of their league trip to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, Xavi confirmed that it was something he had discussed with Barcelona president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco.

Xavi said: 'Substituting Gavi? There is nothing to announce. We will speak with Deco to see what we can do.”

'I am in contact with the president and with Deco on a daily basis. We will announce what we deem appropriate. They know my position and I know theirs and from there, it is about finding a consensus.

'Evidently we are losing a footballer for the whole season, and we will see what we can do and we will see if we can bring someone in.'

However, he would not be moved on the possible options being touted, including moving 18-year-old Vitor Roque's move to Barcelona forward to January, rather than in the summer of 2024.

'This is not the time to talk about the market. We have Vitor Roque and we are looking at others', Xavi said.

'We have [upcoming fixtures] Rayo, Porto and Atletico. It makes no sense to talk about this. If there is news, we will announce it to you.'

Whilst there is no confirmation on the exact length of Gavi's exit, it is likely that the teen could be ruled out for the remainder of the season, and is a doubt for both the European Championships and Olympics next summer.

As per Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan giants are believed to be furious at Spain's decision to include Gavi in the line-up for the Georgia match despite qualification for Euro 2024 already secured.

Barcelona could receive up to £6m in a pay-out from FIFA in compensation for the injury of the first-team starter, the club are concerned by what the loss of the teenager may do for their ability to compete across all competitions.

The La Masia graduate has started all three of Barcelona's Champions League ties, as well as all but three of their LaLiga matches of the current campaign so far.

It is not likely that they will sign a permanent replacement in the summer, with a loan option thought to be more likely, as Gavi looks to return, and Vitor Roque joining their ranks in the summer.

Barcelona's squad greeted and consoled Gavi after the Spanish midfielder visited their training ground for the first time since suffering his serious injury.