Barcelona reportedly offer short-term deal to La Liga veteran despite Gundogan arrival

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Barcelona have reportedly made an offer to Villarreal midfielder Dani Parejo, as they attempt to replace departing captain Sergio Busquets.

Parejo, 34, has racked up over 450 La Liga appearances over the years for Valencia, Villarreal, Getafe and a brief spell at Real Madrid.

The Spain international may be seen as an experienced leader capable of filling the void left by Busquets, along with new signing Ilkay Gundogan, who joined the club from Manchester City.

Jijantes FC have now revealed that Barcelona has offered Parejo a one-year deal, with an optional one-year extension, as a short-term solution in midfield.

Parejo reportedly has a clause in his Villarreal contract which will allow him to depart for a bigger club, and there has been no talk of an extension with the Yellow Submarine, as reported by AS.

Another veteran in the Barcelona squad

Despite the departures of Busquets and Jordi Alba, the arrival of Gundogan means that Xavi has a number of older players at his disposal.

Robert Lewandowski and Sergi Roberto are other experienced heads in a squad which also contains elite young talent such as Pedri and Gavi, and Parejo could be another shorter-term solution.

Given his importance to Villarreal, it remains to be seen whether Parejo would accept a rotational role at Barcelona, who have Gundogan, Frenkie De Jong, Pedri, Gavi, Roberto and Franck Kessie as central midfield options.

Parejo could help fill the void of Busquets if he plays a deeper midfield role, which could allow Pedri and Gundogan to push further forward, whilst also adding experienced quality depth.

However, Xavi may find himself desperate for a defensive midfielder again one year from now given his age, and Parejo lacks the physicality Busquets brought to the number six role.

If the Spaniard does move to the Blaugrana, it seems unlikely that he will have a role as important as his current one at Villarreal, and it remains to be seen if he will want to depart the Valencian region, having lived there for the past 12 years.