It has been two and half years since Xavi Hernandez has left FC Barcelona and to this day the club are still looking to find the right replacement for the pass master.
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According to Spanish publication Sport, the Catalan club has spent €120 million (R1.64 billion) on players they thought could potentially replace Xavi.
The former Spain international left the Blaugrana in 2015 for Al-Sadd in Qatar after winning a memorable treble with the Spanish giant's during the 2014-15 season.
Barcelona has spent a combined total of around €90 million (R1.23 million) on Croatian Ivan Rakitic, Turkey international Arda Turan, Rafinha, Dennis Suarez and Andre Gomes in hope that one would replace the star midfielder at some point.
Rakitic seems to have fallen out of favour with current boss Luis Enrique in recent months, while particularly Gomes has failed to live up to expectations for the Blaugrana.
The two players who can feel a bit hard done by are probably Turan and Rafinha, who have been starved of game time compared to the others and could possibly look at leaving the club in the near future.
Before those five stars were bought, the Catalan club brought Cesc Fabregas back to the Camp Nou for a fee of around €30 million (R412 million), but it didn't work out as all expected, as he was sold to Chelsea three years after his return to the club.
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It is evident that that the Spanish giants are still struggling to fill the gap left by their midfield maestro and with Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta now also ageing the Barcelona midfield may become an even bigger worry in a few seasons time.
Do you agree that Barcelona have struggled to replace Xavi in their squad? Have your say in the comments section below.
