With David Villa out for 6 months minimum I can guarantee we'll see van Persie to Barcelona rumours within a week.

That's what one Twitter user tweeted early Thursday after reports said that Barcelona star striker David Villa suffered a broken leg injury Barcelona's FIFA Club World Cup semi-final win over Al-Sadd in Yokohama, Japan. And, although rumors for Van Persie have already started swirling, it may only escalate from here on out thanks to the Spaniard's injury.

We are all very sad for him, said Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. He's a charming personality and it's a massive blow for the team.

Guardiola added: All the players are very worried about David. We hope he will return as soon as possible. Our thoughts are with him and we will have to win the Club World Cup without him.

Despite Villa's injury, Barcelona still won its game against Al-Saad 4-0. Brazilian defender Adriano scored twice in the first half, and after the break, Seydou Keita and Maxwell added the other two to complete to seal the victory. Now, the team moves on to face Santos in the final on Sunday without one of the best playmakers in the game.

Fans gave mixed reacted to the shocking news:

Terrible news about David Villa's broken tibia. Beautiful player to watch in full flight, cutting in, beating defenders, creating & scoring.

Best of luck for David Villa. Hope you come back soon, Spain needs you.

David Villa heard he could be sold to Liverpool in January so he did what any sensible person would do. Break his own leg! LOOOOL!

The last comment above may be a little facetious, but it does beg the question of what Barcelona will do to fill the gap created by Villa's fall. Even before the injury, Villa had been linked to reports that Barcelona had been actively trying to sell the 30-year-old only 19 months into his four-year deal following his transfer from Valencia. On Wednesday, Guardiola denied that speculation, according to the Guardian.

But now, it seems the pressure will be on Barcelona to make a move, and, yes, the one move that can be made here is for Arsenal's Dutch striker Robin van Persie. Van Persie, who has made a total of 21 appearances for the Gunners this season in all competitions, has an astounding 19 goals thus far, compared to Villa, who has five goals in 15 appearances. Certainly, looking at just the numbers, adding van Persie, who has playmaking ability of his own, could be an upgrade.

The Guardian reported that Arsenal will be looking to replace van Persie if he does decide to transfer, and is hoping that Barcelona will come to such a prolonged standoff with Real Madrid for the Dutchman's services, that he will be forced to stay with Arsenal. However, with the January transfer period just around the corner and a void in the roster, Barcelona may have to do all it can to edge Real Madrid out in the van Persie sweepstakes, if it comes down that.

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