Another Edgar Davids? Barcelona president Joan Laporta confirms club want to sign Gavi replacement in January

Gavi has been ruled out until the end of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear while on international duty with Spain. It had been reported that the Catalan team could not afford to bring in a new midfielder, but Laporta confirmed they will pursue a loan offer like the one that saw Edgar Davids join from Juventus for the second half of the 2003-04 season.

He told EFEnews agency: "If we manage to make the fair play work [with La Liga], the idea is to have another midfielder to compensate for the loss of Gavi. It would be a loan until the end of the season, like we did years ago with Edgar Davids, for example. I think before the end of the year we can create the space for a couple of deals we are working on."

Barcelona's financial problems have made it difficult for the Spanish champions to sign new players in recent transfer windows, having had their wage budget cut by La Liga. Nevertheless, they will sign 18-year-old forward Vitor Roque in a deal worth €35 million (£30m/$38m) plus add-ons in January.

Before they can bring in a new midfielder, Barca will take on Almeria in La Liga in their final game of 2023 on Wednesday. Xavi's men have lost two and drawn one in their last three matches in all competitions and sit seven points behind leaders Real Madrid.