Paris Saint-Germain have earmarked Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets as Thiago Motta’s long-term replacement, according to Le Parisien.
Motta, 33, extended his stay at the Ligue 1 champions by a further year at the start of the season meaning he is now contracted to the club until June 2017.
However, according to reports from the French capital, PSG are hopeful they can have Busquets next season and are waiting in the wings should the Spain midfielder’s current contract talks with Barcelona break down.
Busquets would offer PSG an ideal like-for-like replacement for Motta, with both players devastatingly efficient in the jobs they do in front of their respective back fours. Despite not being physically imposing, both are sublime readers of the game and neither rarely concede possession.
In fact, since the start of the 2009/10 season only former Barcelona teammate Xavi (15,281) has made more accurate passes across Europe’s top five leagues than Busquets (13,344); Motta is sixth on the list (10,521).
For more stats on Sergio Busquets, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
