Barcelona Transfer News: Luis Enrique Must Find Way to Keep Xavi at Camp Nou

Barcelona are facing an increasingly difficult battle to keep longtime midfield maestro Xavi at the Camp Nou, and the Blaugrana have to do whatever they can to make sure the former Spain international doesn't leave the club in the summer.

According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t to the Daily Star's Chisanga Malata), both Manchester United and Bayern Munich tried to pry the midfielder away from the Catalans during the summer, and a source told the New York Post's Brian Lewis that Xavi was very close to signing with New York City FC:

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Xavi will stay at Barca this year. (Marca) reported the possibility to sign with NYC, but in the last hours Xavi has decided to stay at FCB.

He wants to play and at NYC won’t do it until 2015. And at FCB he earns a lot of money. Much more at FCB than NYC.

"

Xavi is a legend of the game, the type of player top clubs would love to have on their bench for one more season, and teams from Major League Soccer or one of the Arab leagues would pay millions to have him come retire in their colours.

At his absolute prime, there was arguably no better passer in all of football than Xavi. Spending his entire career with Barcelona, the team's success under Pep Guardiola was largely built around his ability to distribute the ball.

The 34-year-old can no longer run with players 10 years younger than he is, but given his playing style, he doesn't have to. Barcelona have always surrounded him with better athletes—all Xavi needs is his vision, decades of experience and silk touch of the ball.

There's no denying his value on the pitch has diminished for the Blaugrana. Ivan Rakitic has hit the ground running since joining in the summer—unless the Croat suffers an injury, Xavi will never be a regular starter again.

But the veteran still holds plenty of value for the Catalans nonetheless on three different levels.

Plenty of pundits were surprised Luis Enrique didn't bring him on last Saturday, as Barcelona failed to break down a feisty Athletic Bilbao defence for over 70 minutes. ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan noticed Xavi's distribution was lacking from the team:

As an impact substitute, he's an incredible weapon. Going up against a defence that is already tired, he's bound to find passing lanes where others wouldn't see them. In close matches against defensive teams, he adds a new dimension that can open up opponents and force that one decisive goal.

He also adds depth in case of injury. Xavi is as experienced as they come—he would slot seamlessly into the starting XI. During a long season filled with Champions League fixtures, teams need all of the depth they can find, a point Andres Iniesta made, as shared by Barcastuff:

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Iniesta: "Xavi didn't yet start a game? We have a quality squad, the season is long, there are many games and we'll need everyone."

— barcastuff (@barcastuff) September 14, 2014"

Finally, there's the emotional factor. Xavi is a club icon, a beloved figure in Barcelona who epitomised the rise and success of the Blaugrana. He deserves to retire on the hallowed pitch of the Camp Nou.

Florentino Perez received a ton of backlash over the decision to give into Xabi Alonso's demands, allowing him to move to Bayern Munich. Like Xavi, Alonso had become a Real Madrid legend, but Los Blancos didn't do enough during the summer to convince him to stay.

Israel L. Murillo/Associated Press

The reaction of the Cules to a potential Xavi departure would be even worse. There would be a lot of gratitude toward the player, but the animosity toward the club for not finding a way to keep him happy would be enormous. With the Blaugrana already under a transfer ban, officials don't want to do anything to risk upsetting the fans.

Xavi's leadership in the dressing room is invaluable, and his presence both on and off the pitch is pivotal for the club's success in the near future. While it won't be easy to convince the veteran to turn down offers in order to stay with Barcelona in a revised role, Enrique has to do whatever he can to make it work.

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