Barcelona have been told that Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot would be “a great signing”, Camp Nou icon Xavi says.
The Liga giants are in the market for creative reinforcements in the middle of the park after seeing long-serving captain Andres Iniesta head for the exit.
Several targets have been mooted, with PSG star Rabiot among them, and Xavi can see why the 23-year-old is registering on Barca’s radar, despite his World Cup 2018 snub, and believes a transfer this summer would prove beneficial to all concerned.
He told Mundo Deportivo of the Rabiot rumours: "He's a player of an excellent level technically.
"He could play perfectly as a central midfielder at Barca. He could contribute a lot, but that's already entering the realms of speculation.
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"I've been asked a lot about [Antoine] Griezmann this summer and, in the end, he stayed at Atletico. But if Rabiot comes, he'd be a great signing."
Barca have already tied up a €40 million (£35m/$47m) deal for Brazilian midfielder Arthur from Gremio.
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Xavi, who is now on the books of Al Sadd, expects the South American to prove a shrewd addition, saying: "I've seen a few videos of him. There are a lot of Brazilians here at the Aspire academy who have spoken very well of him.
"I think he's a player who is perfectly adaptable to Barca. He has what we call the Barca DNA, that technical quality, that talent you need. After that, it depends on him, his mentality and whether he is ready to play for a good team."
Arthur has been billed as ‘the new Xavi’, but the World Cup winner is reluctant to put such tags on emerging talents.
The 38-year-old playmaker added: "I don't like it. I didn't like being compared with [Pep] Guardiola or anyone, it's not easy to digest, it's a weight on top of you and that's not good.
"He has to make his own career, show his own personality. If we leave him in peace, he'll succeed, but it's very difficult at Barca, very difficult."
