Why Sergio Busquets Transfer Move from Barcelona to Premier League Is Unlikely

Premier League clubs want Sergio Busquets, with Chelsea and Manchester United apparently at the front of the queue.

That's according to Jamie Sanderson at Metro and Anthony Chapman at the Daily Express.

Sanderson says Chelsea are leading the way and labels Busquets a "contract rebel." He writes:

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Chelsea are closing in on Barcelona contract rebel Sergio Busquets after moving ahead of Manchester United in the race. Busquets has alerted potential suitors recently by stalling on penning a new contract with Barca, amid suggestions he has lost faith in Luis Enrique’s vision for the club.

And while United are keen, Chelsea have now pulled into pole position to do business and could tempt Busquets to the Premier League. The Blues are eyeing another defensive midfielder if John Obi Mikel completes a likely switch away in January, and this Spain star could add quality competition for places.

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There is confusion over Enrique's tactics, and perhaps the coach himself doesn't know his best starting lineup, but it is bordering on ludicrous to suggest that the more than six years of history Busquets has with Barcelona could be written off in an instant.

It's not as if Busquets has been badly treated by the club; he is a first-teamer and has featured in almost every game this season.

The player has found himself more exposed at times because of the new setup at the club. With a narrow forward trio, full-backs Jordi Alba and Dani Alves have pushed further up the pitch to supply width.

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That means the onus falls on two of the central players to move slightly wider themselves to cover the marauding full-backs. Ivan Rakitic and Xavi have complied, which means Busquets is left alone in the middle more often than he would like.

That has contributed to his shaky form—now he's exposed in situations where he would have previously felt comfortable.

Sanderson's comment about Busquets adding "quality competition for places" is another reason the player wouldn't move.

It's impossible to see the defensive midfielder moving somewhere he wouldn't start, and at Chelsea, with Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic, the Blues already have a winning combination.

Right now, there’s no better defensive midfielder in the world than the Serbian, who has been dominating games for Chelsea.

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Furthermore, John Obi Mikel and Ramires are more than decent options for a place in the first team.

Both have won numerous trophies with the club, and Jose Mourinho won't feel Busquets is a necessary addition.

Even if Mikel were to leave, the Blues have Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Lewis Baker coming through the youth system, both of whom have shown plenty of promise.

Busquets would be far more useful at Manchester United, but they too have more pressing problems to solve given that both Ander Herrera and Daley Blind can play in the defensive midfield slot.

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Meanwhile, the Express story adds, "United and Arsenal are also keeping tabs on the Spain international, and according to reports, Barcelona are set to negotiate terms on a new deal."

Arsenal would be the best fit for Busquets by far, both in terms of his playing style and based on the team's need for a player of this type.

With former Barcelona star Alexis Sanchez thriving at the club, Arsene Wenger may be able to get the Chilean to try to lure the Catalan midfielder to the Emirates.

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However, the north London side have been going nowhere for far too long and would be big step down for Busquets.

Barcelona's defensive midfielder, who has been central to the success enjoyed by the club in the last half-decade, has been out of sorts.

As Jason Pettigrove brings to our attention in a recent Bleacher Report column:

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Per WhoScored.com, his pass success of 92.1 percent in La Liga is his worst for three years. When averting danger he has dropped well below acceptable levels too. Per game he is making 0.5 total clearances in La Liga, which is also the worst from Busi since he arrived into the first team and Busi's interceptions are down to their worst level ever too.

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It's clear there is a problem with Busquets this season, but selling him wouldn't be the answer to anything—nor is it particularly likely.