Barcelona's midfield situation has changed considerably over the last few weeks. Frenkie de Jong's injury has left Hansi Flick with fewer reliable options in the double pivot, while Marc Bernal is still returning from a lengthy layoff and cannot immediately be expected to carry a full workload.
Pedri remains an automatic starter and Gavi has proven that he can play alongside him, but the depth behind them suddenly looks far less secure than it did at the beginning of the summer.
There have also been rumours that Flick had already begun losing some trust in Frenkie towards the end of last season. The Dutchman reportedly did not manage his previous injury particularly well and continued playing during a World Cup year despite not being fully fit.
That was said to have frustrated Flick, who began trusting Gavi more during the closing stages of the campaign. Frenkie has still travelled with the team for pre-season, although some have interpreted that as Flick wanting him to recover under the club's supervision and, in a way, holding him accountable for how the situation was handled.
With Barcelona still expected to complete more business before the transfer window closes, another midfielder may now have become a genuine necessity rather than a luxury.

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