Just as FC Barcelona were closing in on the possible signing of one of the promising talents of English football, they are set to face possible competition that could make the signing much more complicated than anticipated.
The Catalan giants were in contention to complete the signing of 18-year-old Chelsea wonderkid Tudor Mendel-Idowu on a free transfer following the ending of his current contract with the Blues of London.
The English striker has a strong statistical record for the Chelsea subsidiary, scoring 13 times and assisting 6 times in 39 games. However, as is being reported by Spanish outlet SPORT, the player may now be the target of Belgian club Anderlecht who are leaning in to take over the signing of the 18-year-old forward.
The Belgian side finished 11th in the Belgian Pro League last season and is now monitoring the Englishman, as confirmed by various sources. They believe they can hijack his transfer to bring the 18-year-old to Belgium.
The offer by R.S.C. Anderlecht is one that is financially stronger than the one proposed by FC Barcelona and it is one that ensures that the young striker, yet to still have any first-team experience in his life, will be included in the dynamics of the first team of the Belgian side.
On the other hand, FC Barcelona are hoping to integrate him into the Juvenil A side and help the Blaugrana subsidiary.
As it stands, Barcelona could face a repeat scenario of what happened with Turkish talent Arda Guler, who was initially thought to be signing with Barcelona but ended up joining Real Madrid due to an improved financial offer.
To avoid this, Barcelona will have to act quickly if they want to secure the arrival of the English Chelsea starlet and prevent the rivaling Belgian club from taking over.
