Having just signed one Barça youngster in Oriol Remeu, Chelsea are apparently keen on another, Gerard Deulofeu. So are Arsenal.
Gerard Deulofeu has just taken part in the European Under-19 tournament, where (as always) Spain did very well. That Spanish team, like all the other levels, is packed to the gills with products of the Barça youth system.
Since there is a limited number of opportunities for these players to make it in the Barça full team, many are looking elsewhere. Chelsea snapped up Oriol Remeu over the summer; Bojan Krkic has also left for Roma. And Deulofeu is one of the hottest propects (he`s also made some cameo appearances with the first team), with any number of clubs thinking about him. Apparently there were scouts from Arsenal and Chelsea at the Under-19 tournament. They were not disappointed as Deulofeu was one of the stars. And Spain won.
But the player, who is registered as a forward / winger, hasn`t even signed a professional contract with Barcelona: at 17 years of age, by law he can`t. Barça`s fear is that he will only be able to sign those papers at age 18. The trouble is (for Barça) he could also sign a contract with any other club in the world. For the moment, his contract is as an amateur. That nevertheless has a buyout clause of ?3,5 million.
Whilst Chelsea and Arsenal are interested, apparently Barça are desperate to avoid another Cesc case: a youngster leaves Barça because Barça are not able to tie down the player. They are therefore attempting to ensure that the player signs a professional contract as soon as he turns 18.
This is probably one who will get away from Stamford Bridge?
Share this article
