Being an appealing prospect for a club like FC Barcelona is something close to a dream for most young and aspiring footballers. Very few manage to do so at the end, and even fewer manage to don the famous Blaugrana colors at some point of their careers.
Already possessing an ensemble cast of hugely talented youngsters and veterans within their squad, particularly within the midfield, there is no urgent necessity felt within Barcelona to hunt down yet another midfield prospect so soon.
Yet, given how competitive football has become and how vulnerable Barcelona are in terms of their finances, good deals that could result in top acquisitions are something that the Catalan giants purposefully keep open ears towards.
As such, according to Spanish outlet SPORT, Barcelona are keeping tabs on a particular 19-year-old midfield talent that currently plays for Celta Vigo in Spain. The player goes by the name of Hugo Sotelo, he specializes as a central midfielder and dons the number 22.
Hailing from the youth ranks of the team from Vigo, Sotelo is seen as a great talent. During this year’s pre-season for Celta, the young 19-year-old made waves within the first team as he managed to impress head coach Rafa Benitez when he was called up from the Celta Vigo B team to participate in the first team’s pre-season.
His talents have alerted the likes of not just FC Barcelona, but also Real Madrid alongside other European sides. Moreover, his contract is set to expire in 2025 and his current release clause is set at only €10 million, a bargain of a price in relevance to his talents as per SPORT.
His next chance to feature for Celta Vigo’s first team will be against FC Barcelona themselves in La Liga. An important match in the present, but also one with historical context.
His official first-team debut took place in 2021 against La Blaugrana and saw him participate as a debutant in the same game that would be Lionel Messi’s last ever for FC Barcelona.
Interestingly, the report from SPORT even includes an image of the two footballers clashing for possession of the ball during the game. It may just be a poetic progression to see Sotelo also don the famous Barcelona colors someday in the future.
