Barcelona Transfer News: Toni Kroos Fail Baffles Johan Cruyff, Xavi Targeted

Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff cannot comprehend how the Catalan club failed to sign Toni Kroos from Bayern Munich during the summer.

Kroos, now plying his trade with Real Madrid, has settled excellently into La Liga life. Reports suggested he had agreed to join Barcelona before settling on a Bernabeu switch—per Mundo Deportivo and translated via Barcastuff—but the Blaugrana are said to have pulled out.

Cruyff added to suggestions of a missed opportunity. "I can't understand it," said the Dutchman, reported by Marca. "I know that Kroos had an affinity for Barcelona and could have gone there. I don't know what happened, but he definitely liked the club."

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Carlo Ancelotti has integrated Kroos quickly into his lineup. Xabi Alonso's departure has seen the German's controlling influence become extremely important and given him little time to settle. Ancelotti recently admitted he already has "total confidence" in the player, reported by Jack Davies of Goal.com.

Kroos has started all 10 of Madrid's domestic league matches, racking up five assists. He only trails Xavi in terms of being the division's most accurate passer with an average of 93.6 percent finding their mark during each display, per WhoScored.com.

The 24-year-old also averages the second-highest total of passes each match behind Rayo Vallecano's Roberto Trashorras and offers defensive resistance with 2.5 tackles in every appearance. He is a controlling midfielder who allows the squad's more attacking stars to go about their business unimpeded while remaining creative himself.

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This can be compared to Xavi's role at the Camp Nou. Although the Spanish World Cup winner has slowed down considerably over the past year, his ability to dictate possession while remaining key to Barca's attack has played an iconic part in the club's era-defining success. Kroos could have been an excellent successor to the 34-year-old, hinted by Cruyff.

Squawka highlighted the German midfielder's command after Madrid's recent Champions League win over Liverpool:

Japanese paper Nikkan Sports recently indicated FC Tokyo have expressed an interest in taking Xavi to Asia, where they would reportedly be "willing to offer the passmaster a salary of around 1 million yen (€7 million) a year," according to Marca.

This could be an interesting move for the player, who is becoming an increasingly diminished force under Luis Enrique, perhaps best highlighted by his inability to influence the Clasico against Kroos and Madrid.

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Barca will struggle to replace Xavi's quality—much like Manchester United did with Paul Scholes—but may feel they missed an opportunity if Kroos' signature was as close as Cruyff insists. Enrique would be brave to let Xavi leave with the 2015 transfer ban approaching, however, suggesting he could remain with the club until the end of next season.

Kroos is destined to continue improving at Madrid. His adaptability is commendable and underlines the world-class qualities of a midfielder who has it all. Cruyff's comments certainly don't aid Barcelona's morale after two consecutive losses, but will force many to consider why the club failed to push through a deal for a proven winner whose natural game adheres to the Catalan side's philosophy.