Barca look to France in the search for the new Xavi

Spanish publication 'Mundo Deportivo' reports that the Catalan giants are hot on the tail of French youngster Maxime Lopez.

Despite his tender years, the 19-year-old established himself as a key player for Marseille last season making 35 appearances in all competitions, of which 30 were starts.

The aforementioned source claims that the diminutive midfielder was heavily scouted by Barcelona during the previous campaign and that the club went as far as holding talks with the player's agent in August over a future move.

The France U21 international is thought to be very much open to a move to the Camp Nou as he is a huge fan of Barca veteran Andres Iniesta.

Barca are thought to be planning on holding off on a move until next summer, though with interest forom elswhere they may be forced into acting sooner.