Barcelona will sign a player in January to fill Rafinha and Pedro gaps

Barcelona will sign a player in January to fill Rafinha and Pedro gaps

Rafinha's serious injury has changed Barcelona's plans and they will sign someone in January. This has been a strange period, in which Barcelona have not been able to register new players for two transfer windows.

Luis Enrique has to take on the first five months of the season with a limited squad, particularly after Pedro left to join Chelsea. The unfortunate injury to Rafinha has aggravated the situation and means continuing without adding another player would make life very difficult. Luis Enrique will insist the club adds someone to replace Rafinha in January. 

The board has started to move to resolve the situation. Their first action was to consult the RFEF if they could immediately add a new player to substitute Rafinha, as the laws say they can in the case of a long-term injury. Angel Maria Villar's organisation gave their consent but FIFA did not, because of the ban on Barcelona registering new players until January. 

The world football governing body has been repeatedly inflexible to Barcelona's requests. The last time they asked was about the possibility of incorporating Denis Suarez who was on loan but officially a Barcelona player. Barcelona will insist again given Rafinha's injury but there is little hope of FIFA changing their mind. 

Luis Enrique will get Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan in January, and although the Turk can play in Rafinha's position, he considers it insufficient to take on the challenge of winning the treble. The season is long and hard and Lucho knows he needs a better bench. 

Sporting director Robert Fernandez is already working on finding a forward that can replace Pedro. He will also have to consider the versatility lost in Rafinha and the Brazilian's attacking profile. 

The injury to the Spanish-Brazilian doesn't mean Barcelona won't pick a forward as the replacement. Barcelona will pick the best option on the market. The new player must meet three things: Quality level, adaptability to a secondary role, and reasonable salary costs. 

Two of the top options on Luis Enrique and the technical secretary's list are Nolito and Feghouli. The former is a specific request from the Asturian but it has been complicated by his contract renewal. Feghouli, meanwhile, has a contract that expires in June 2016 with Valencia, so he could be extremely affordable in January.

There is also another name that is liked at the club, Yarmolenko. However, after the move did not materialise in the summer he is less likely. The latter two players have featured in the Champions League, so Luis Enrique cannot use them in that competition.

Denis Suarez and Gundogan are two midfielders who have been touted since the injury to Rafinha. The former, on loan at Villarreal from Sevilla, would only cost €3million, given Barcelona's repurchase option, but Lucho said in pre-season that he was a player who needed more experience before playing for Barcelona. 

Gundogan, meanwhile, has just returned from a long injury. He could be used in the Champions League, however, because Borussia Dortmund did not qualify for it. He is a player that Barcelona has liked a lot for a while. They have tracked him for some time and after his injury, perhaps his price will be more reasonable. The only question is over his physical condition. He has started well this season but there are no assurances that it will continue over time. 

From here until the opening of the window, the list may change, based on these search parameters. What is clear is that Luis Enrique will have a new boost to help fight on three fronts.