Is Ilkay Gundogan, or Anyone, a Realistic Replacement for Xavi at Barcelona?

Barcelona are understood to be tracking Borussia Dortmund playmaker Ilkay Gundogan as a potential replacement for the outgoing Xavi Hernandez.

The Catalans had previously declared an interest in the player, but this was later withdrawn, due in no small part to Gundogan's long-term injury concerns.

However, Mundo Deportivo (via Liam Corless of the Daily Mirror), claims Luis Enrique sees the German as a ready-made replacement for Barca's record appearance holder.

With a FIFA-imposed transfer ban still in place, any potential transfer would not be able to be fully rubber-stamped until January of next year.

While the player could technically sign for the club over the summer, he wouldn't be able to register as playing staff until the 2016 winter transfer window.

Arguably, should Xavi leave as expected, the Catalans then have five months of next season, six if you count pre-season, where they will have played in a certain style. Potentially a winning style.

No doubt it then becomes difficult just to parachute a player into a team mid-way through the campaign.

Furthermore, where exactly does he fit? Xavi has spent much of this season on the bench and Gundogan is hardly likely to be happy with a similar tenure.

If the current Barca midfield plays to anywhere near its capabilities then the first choice will be as now; Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets.

Gundogan has recently been spotted in Barcelona, and, given that he has already stated he will not renew his contract at Dortmund, due to expire in 2016, the rumour mill has gone into overdrive.

German daily Bild, per Corless' report, spoke to the player about his sojourn to the Catalan capital and he would only comment "I have nothing to announce."

It's easy to understand why Barca might be interested in Gundogan's services, of course.

A hybrid playmaker with a skill set that has developed to allow him to function as a defensive midfielder when required, arguably Gundogan could slot into any of the midfield positions at Barca with equal aplomb.

Adept at short or long passing, Gundogan's accuracy of 85.2 is the best at Dortmund for the amount of minutes played, per WhoScored.com. Only Milos Jojic is slightly ahead at 85.4 but has played significantly less than his team-mate. 

A player with boundless energy, not dissimilar to Dani Alves in that respect, Gundogan's engine in the middle of the park is another of his stand-out features.

Providing relentless pressure on opponents and then quick to break forward at every given opportunity, Gundogan can turn defence into attack in the blink of an eye. In Luis Enrique's more vertical Barca setup, such skills would be coveted.

Of course, it would be quite a departure from Xavi's clockwork "tiki-taka" style of ball retention but, frankly, there is no one better in world football at playing the game in the way that Xavi does, so why try, and fail, to replicate it.

Barcelona are evolving into something a little different, and that's not a bad thing. We only need look at the success of Ivan Rakitic to note that in the right system and with the right players, Barca are still just as strong and dangerous in that area of the pitch as always.

At only 24 years of age Gundogan still has many peak years ahead of him, and given how well he has adapted his role already, one can only assume that he will improve in future years. That's a frightening prospect.

Barca would be foolish to let this one slip through their fingers.