Barcelona will choose another captain in the summer LaLiga - Barcelona Mascherano relinquished his role

Ernesto Valverde has worked incredibly well with his squad at the Camp Nou this term, however, Barcelona will choose another captain in the summer.

Javier Mascherano was one of the club's set of captains, but when he left for China in the winter it left one such position unfilled.

Those in power at the Camp Nou had decided that its best to wait until the summer before making such a decision, and for the moment Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets will stand as the club's three captains.

The decision will be made once Los Cules' pre-season plans commence following the conclusion of the World Cup in Russia.

Officially the club aren't appointing a fourth captain this season because it's midway through a campaign, although the reality is that there are a number of candidates who much be evaluated.

Furthermore, there is uncertainty surrounding Iniesta's own future with the Catalan giants.

There's a small possibility that there may even be a need for two new captains ahead of the 2018/19 season.

There has been no clarification on the veteran midfielder's future yet, but it's suspected within the dressing room that he could in fact leave the club in the summer.

This particular soap-opera will be concluded officially within the coming month, as both the club and the player himself agreed to a certain date in April being the one where a definitive answer is given.

Across LaLiga, the captaincy is done on seniority, although that isn't the case at the Camp Nou with members of the squad themselves voting on their four captains.

Characteristics such as charisma, respect and personality are all considered ahead of the vote, and there are several candidates to take the Argentine's spot.

It's obvious that if Iniesta is to leave the club, then Messi will rise up the ladder and become the team's official captain.

With regards to the potential two new spots, Gerard Pique is a candidate and Ivan Rakitic has emerged as another.

The Spanish defender essentially acts as a captain without the official title at this point, as he's so experienced and is so committed to Barcelona.

He isn't afraid to speak his mind, although this may have cost him an official position in the past, especially in the most recent vote which handed Mascherano his position initially.

Rakitic is seen as a much mature option.

He was a captain with Sevilla and the Croatian national team, and is at the forefront of the list which also contains Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.