Barcelona are in a sticky situation at the moment.

Their remarkable 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich last week was one of the worst results in their history and consequently, Quique Setien has been sacked.

In truth, he was never going to survive a result like that.


However, it doesn't look like a host of the club's big names will survive it either.

Lionel Messi wants out and a plethora of his teammates could follow him out the door. Gerard Pique admitted he'd be one of the first to leave if they want to rebuild while their entire squad, barring five players, have been put up for sale.

Talk about a clear out.

To put thing simply, they need it. Josep Maria Bartomeu has been running a sinking ship for quite some time now and as Barca's mantra goes, they are more than a club.

Messi

This is a footballing institution in need of considerable restructuring. That could start with the hiring of Ronald Koeman.

The Dutchman has been widely tipped to replace Setien and he has already made up his mind on who he wants his first signing to be.

According to French outlet, Le10 Sport, that will be Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek.

Barca raided the Dutch giants last summer to sign Frenkie de Jong and now they will return to the Eredivisie if reports are to be believed.

Van De Beek is currently rated at £39.6m, which by Barcelona's standards, would be quite cheap.

Real Madrid are also interested in the 23-year-old but he isn't thought to be a priority.

Van De Beek

GIVEMESPORT'S Matt Dawson says...

This is an easy link to piece together. Koeman is from the Netherlands, so is Van De Beek, and the duo have already worked together for the national team.

Under Koeman, the attacking midfielder has made nine appearances in what has become a rather strong Netherlands side.

It's easy to see why Barcelona want him too. They've failed to replace people like Andres Iniesta in the squad and lack goals from midfield, especially with Philippe Coutinho on loan at Bayern Munich.

Messi was the only player to hit double figures in La Liga this season and while Arturo Vidal found the net on eight occasions, he is now 33 and way past his best.

Van De Beek for The Netherlands

Van De Beek, however, is growing in stature as the seasons go on. He scored ten times in all competitions this term, registering 11 assists in the process.

That extra dose of creativity could be game-changing for a side who relied on Messi and Luis Suarez in that department. Jordi Alba was the third-highest in the squad with just five assists for example.