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It is no secret that Barcelona tend to search the unexplored territories of the South American lands in order to unearth a new gem. They have their eyes on a move for Brazilian wonderkid Vitor Roque for the summer.

And it seems like they have identified another young pearl from South America as a target. The player in question is a certain 20-year-old Fabricio Diaz.

A defensive midfielder for Liverpool Montevideo, Duza has burst onto the scenes with his stunning displays in the 2023 South American U-20 Championship.

The youngster, who captained his side, went on to score five goals and two assists in eight games, helping them finish as the runners-up.

Barcelona have been watching the 20-year-old for quite some time and if a report from SPORT is to be believed, the team already has a purchase price for the midfielder. It claims that anywhere around €6 million will do the trick.

Diaz, despite his young age, has already made more than 100 appearances for his side, and the interest in the midfielder has substantially grown in recent weeks.

As for Barcelona, signing a midfielder could become an essential task for the team mostly because the future of Sergio Busquets continues to hang in the air.

Although club president Joan Laporta has admitted that the team is willing to offer him a new deal, the final decision rests with the player.

So in order to get a replacement, Barcelona have decided to explore the South American territories. While the likes of Andrey Santos, Danilo and Joao Gomes were touted to be potential signings, the trio decided to seek their futures elsewhere.

Interestingly, Diaz’s association with Barcelona is certain to cost lesser that the aforementioned Brazilians.

Furthermore, what works in Barcelona’s favour is the fact that their approach with a certain Ronald Aruajo in the past worked wonders.

The defender joined Barcelona back in August 2018 from the Uruguayan Primera Division side Boston River and his development has simply been breathtaking. And it is believed that the Blaugrana want to repeat the trick with Diaz.

If signed, the defensive midfielder will be sent to the reserve team as was done with Araujo. Once he progresses through the ranks, the ultimate aim would be his inclusion in the first team.

Just 18 years of age, Vitor Roque is already making big waves back in Brazil, so much so that, clubs across Europe have taken note of the Athletico Paranaense striker, with Barcelona emerging as one of his strongest suitors.

Indeed, the Blaugrana are intent on signing Roque in the summer as an understudy and the long-term successor to Robert Lewandowski.

The current La Liga leaders have already held negotiations with Athletico Paranaense about a transfer and talks are understood to have progressed in a positive manner.

Roque, for his part, has already admitted that he desires to play for Barcelona. “I feel ready to play for Barcelona,” he had said.

And in a recent interview with Globo Esporte, the teenage sensation stated that he feels ready and prepared to play in Europe.

“I definitely feel prepared to play in Europe. I work for it, I’m focused on getting there as prepared as possible,” Roque said.

Roque enjoyed a solid campaign last time out with Athletico Paranaense. Following up on that, the 18-year-old striker helped Brazil win the South American U-20 Championship earlier this year, finishing as the joint top-scorer in the competition.

A special talent, the young centre-forward is expected to cost in the range of €35 million for Barcelona.

With the player keen on the move, it might not be much longer before things pick up speed in the Catalan giants’ pursuit of Roque, although they must find a way to navigate the FFP issues before finalising the transfer.

As we inch closer to Barcelona’s next La Liga match against Athletic Club, there are contradicting reports emerging on the fitness and condition of superstar forward Ousmane Dembele.

Only a while ago, SPORT reported that the 25-year-old was very close to returning to action and was not completely ruled out of the clash against Athletic. It was further stated that the winger would be 100% fit for the Clasico next week.

But now, a fresh report from Ferran Martinez of Mundo Deportivo is claiming that Dembele is all but ruled out of the trip to San Mames to face Athletic while he is also a doubt for the Clasico versus Real Madrid.

The report states that Dembele was expected to return to group training this week with the hope of getting some minutes under his belt against the Basque club on Sunday.

However, after conducting tests on the Frenchman today, the medical department at the club have decided to not risk the possibility of a relapse and have asked for the forward’s return to be delayed.

The idea is that Dembele stays fully fit for the final stretch of the campaign without any risk of the injury relapsing, which is why they are erring on the side of caution for now.

The medical department have reportedly cited the example of Pedri’s injury troubles last season as the midfielder had recurring problems in the same leg and do not wish for Dembele to go through a similar issue ahead of the crucial period in the season.

Xavi is keen on recovering his key forward who had been in fine form before getting injured. But following the recommendations from the medical department, everyone has decided to stay calm and not risk anything, which means that Dembele is very much ruled out of the Athletic Club match and is a doubt against Real Madrid.

Sevilla had become of the sides to reckon with in La Liga under the tutelage of Julien Lopetegui over the past few years. They finished in the Champions League places every season under the Spanish coach, and even lifted the Europa League in 2020.

However, after a massive clearout in the summer of 2022 that saw Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos depart to Barcelona and Aston Villa, respectively, Sevilla were struggling to mirror their best form this season.

Eventually, Lopetegui was sacked while Los Nervionenses were sitting in relegation places, with Jorge Sampaoli replacing him. And while they are currently out of the bottom-three, Sevilla are still just sitting 16th in the table, one point clear off the drop.

In an attempt to reinforce their team ahead of the new season, sporting director Monchi wants to bring in young attack-minded players in the summer. One of his targets is Barcelona’s Ilias Akhomach, as per a report by Culemania.

At 18, Ilias is one of the key players for Barcelona Atletic. He is also the captain of the Spanish U-19 team, and is among the players next in line to be promoted to the senior team if push comes to shove.

Unfortunately, though, the teenager’s contract with Barça is set to expire in the summer, and the player has not shown an intention to renew it. He is, therefore, free to negotiate with any team he wants right now and sign a pre-agreement.

This also means that Barcelona have chosen not to call him up for the senior team right now, even though Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski’s injuries have cleared up space in the squad.

Instead, Angel Alarcon and Estanis Pedrola have been summoned to the first-team for the game against Valencia tomorrow.

Leeds United are also reportedly interested in signing Ilias in the summer, and have reached a four-year agreement over personal terms with the player. This makes Sevilla’s task even tougher, especially with their current attack massively misfiring.

Alberto Moleiro is one of the hottest prospects in the Spanish second division right now. Currently plying his trade for Las Palmas, the exciting attacking midfielder has racked up eight assists in the league so far, helping the Canaries remain on top of the league table.

Moleiro’s performances have not gone unnoticed either, with Barcelona among the clubs reportedly interested in his services.

However, the Catalans are set to face immense competition from not only Real Madrid but also Premier League clubs, as we approach the summer transfer window.

This has been confirmed by Las Palmas president Miguel Angel Ramirez, during an interview with Que’ T’hi Jugues. “Apart from Barça and Real Madrid, there are other teams interested in signing Moleiro. Several teams in England, for example,” he said.

The increased competition for Moleiro does not bode well for Barcelona, especially knowing the fact that money could be a major factor, as far as the youngster’s pursuit is concerned.

This is because Moleiro already has a release clause worth €30 million embedded in his current contract. That figure could increase up to €60 million if Las Palmas secure promotion to La Liga next season, which is likely the case.

The Canaries are currently leading the table in the second division, with a three-point lead over second-placed Levante, even though the latter have a game in hand.

In addition to revealing competition for Moleiro, Ramirez confirmed the player’s botched move to Camp Nou last summer, adding, “I haven’t talked to Barça about Moleiro since last summer. There was an agreement in principle with Barça last summer, but financial FairPlay didn’t allow us to find a solution.”

Barcelona are expected to find similar economic issues this time around as well. But with key players being subjected to a move away from Camp Nou, it remains to be seen whether or not the Catalans can balance the books in order to afford the Las Palmas starlet.

Barcelona secured a vital advantage over their arch-rivals Real Madrid in the semifinal of the Copa Del Rey after they registered a 1-0 victory at Santiago Bernabeu last night.

One of the driving forces behind Barça’s victory was Frenkie de Jong, with the Dutchman producing one of his best performances of the season and masterfully controlling the midfield throughout the ninety minutes.

According to Reshad Rehman, De Jong’s performance was another indicator of his growing importance in the Barcelona team.

The former Ajax starlet, who was an unwanted prospect in the Barcelona first-team before the season’s start, has become one of the most crucial components in Xavi’s setup this term. He has performed consistently as well, establishing himself as an indispensable figure in the middle of the park.

Rahman claims de Jong is even considered one of the top five players in the Barcelona team. This has resulted in him gaining powers within the squad, which is hardly surprising as Barça eventually look to move out of the leadership of their old guards such as Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto.

Busquets, for one, is likely to depart Camp Nou at the end of the season, which could further accentuate the need for someone like de Jong.

The player himself feels comfortable in Barcelona as well, amid reports suggesting that Manchester United may come looking for him once again in the coming summer.

Should Busquets depart, de Jong would become the seniormost midfielder in the Barcelona squad. This could lead to new responsibilities for the Dutchman, especially with youngsters such as Gavi and Pedri comprising Barça’s rest of the midfield workforce.

However, it will be interesting to see who the club bring in, as part of their plans to reinforce the ranks in midfield. One of the targets is Ilkay Gundogan, with the Catalans reportedly in pole position to sign the German international on a free transfer this summer.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has been coming down hard on Barcelona over the Financial Fair Play regulations.

The head of the Spanish top flight has time and again issued warnings to the Catalan giants about them needing to reduce their wage bill by a massive amount before the summer.

Tebas has also been vocal against the registration of Gavi as a first-team member and La Liga are set to challenge the same in the court.

Now, the 60-year-old has once again made a bleak prediction about Barcelona’s summer, stating that La Liga will not allow them to sign any players in the upcoming window just like they did in January unless the financial situation changes.

Issuing a stern warning to the La Liga leaders about their prospects for the summer, Tebas said (h/t Radio Estadio):

“Barça haven’t been able to sign players during the winter transfer window… We didn’t let them. Next summer will be the same, they will not be able to sign players!”

As iterated earlier, this is not the first time Tebas and La Liga have come down hard on Barcelona.

The La Liga supremo’s actions have led to a very frosty relationship between him and Barcelona president Joan Laporta, with both at loggerheads over several issues including FFP and the European Super League.

It will certainly be interesting to see if there is any response from Barcelona to the latest comments made by Tebas threatening to block the club from signing players in the upcoming transfer window.

Barcelona loanee Ez Abde showed his talent and potential once again last night as he helped Osasuna to a 1-0 win over Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg.

The Moroccan international winger scored the only goal of the game on Wednesday night to take Jagoba Arrasate’s men one step closer to the final of the cup competition.

The talented Barcelona youngster now has three goals and two assists across all competitions for his loan club as he continues to gain valuable experience and enhance his reputation away from Spotify Camp Nou.

Abde’s performances at Osasuna have caught the attention of teams from England ahead of the summer window. Indeed, it has previously been reported that Chelsea have shown an interest in the 21-year-old.

Along with the Blues, Nottingham Forest are another club to have set sights on the Moroccan ace.

In fact, Mundo Deportivo is reporting that Nottingham Forest have already asked about the possible signing of Abde from Barcelona in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Meanwhile, Osasuna are also keen on retaining the former Hercules starlet’s services for another season on loan after having been impressed by what he has shown in the current campaign.

Abde will return to Barça at the end of the season and manager Xavi Hernandez sees the potential within the winger.

However, considering the club’s financial situation, the report states that the possibility of cashing in on Abde in the summer is not ruled out.

The 21-year-old has a contract with the Blaugrana until 2026. Given his age and potential, Barcelona could fetch a sizeable sum from his sale in the summer if they do decide to go down that route.

Barcelona are set to enter the market for another creative midfielder in the summer according to reports, having found it tricky to perform at their best in the absence of Pedri.

The 20-year-old’s recent injury-enforced absence has coincided with back-to-back defeats for the Blaugrana, with the team looking devoid of any creative influence, especially in the last game against UD Almeria.

So, manager Xavi will likely seek another midfielder of a similar profile to Pedri in the summer. And, according to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona continue to retain an interest in Spanish youngster Alberto Moleiro.

The 19-year-old plays for Las Palmas, the same club from where Barcelona signed Pedri back in 2019. The young attacking midfielder has been in good nick over the past couple of campaigns and has played a key role in the Canary Islands outfit’s ascent to the top of the La Liga 2 table.

In 28 appearances in the league, Moleiro has registered as many as eight assists.

Barcelona have had the teenager on their radar for a while now, with his creativity, technical ability and ball control attracting a lot of attention.

The Blaugrana could have signed him last year for a fee of around €10 million (fixed) plus €15 million in variables. However, they deemed the valuation to be too high and passed up on the opportunity.

While they continue to hold an interest in Moleiro, signing him now could be much more tricky as he signed a new contract with Las Palmas until 2026.

The deal includes a release clause worth €30 million, which will rise to €60 million if the club achieve promotion to La Liga – a prospect that is looking very likely.

Barcelona’s economic conditions prevent them from paying the €30 million to sign him up and it will only get more challenging if Las Palmas are promoted and the clause doubles up.

Barcelona take on Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal on Thursday night in a rather difficult situation. Xavi Hernandez will be without his top guns including Pedri, Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski at Santiago Bernabeu and it is safe to say that the Catalans are in trouble.

The Polish striker’s absence from the game was announced yesterday and leaves Xavi with few options in attack. Ansu Fati’s expected return, however, comes as the one silver lining.

According to a surprising report from Adria Albets, the young forward has still not returned to training with the group. The idea is for Fati to join training tomorrow and directly play the Clasico on Thursday night.

The one clear deduction from the situation is that the player is still not 100% fit. It appears that the club are rushing his return just to ensure that the manager has options available for the vital game at Santiago Bernabeu.

Fati does not have the best of histories with injuries in his short career. The youngster spent the better part of two years on the sidelines and had to undergo repeated surgeries to make a comeback to professional football.

The Clasico is indeed important, but fielding Fati with just one training session under his belt could prove costly for Xavi in the long run. Given the trying times in Catalonia, the manager just cannot afford to lose another player to a long-term injury.

The first leg of the tie will be played at Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday night and the second leg is scheduled close to 40 days later.

Notably, however, the two rivals will face off against each other in La Liga once between the two legs. For Barcelona to stand a chance on all fronts, Xavi’s man-management will be one of the most crucial components.