Barcelona dispatch scouts to assess South American talents

Barcelona target Estevao Willian

Photo by Alex Caparros - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

Unsurprisingly, FC Barcelona continue to hunt down young prodigies that could be of interest to them. The Catalan giants already possess a great deal of talented young stars, but they hope to increase those numbers. Moreover, there are also financial reasons behind why Barcelona are going down this path.

For now, the Catalan giants mainly focus on scouting in Europe and the South American regions. To be precise, mainly Argentina and Brazil are the two hubs where Barça keep their attention towards. One of their greatest targets, Estevao Willian, also hails from Brazil.

However, in order to get a better report on not just young ‘Messinho’ but also other talented stars, Barcelona have devised a specific plan. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan giants have dispatched two scouts over to the continent.

Their current goal is to keep an eye out on Willian’s progression as well as that of other talented starlets. In terms of the primary competitions in which the two scouts will be active, the focus will lie on the ‘Copinha’ and the Pre-Olympics in Venezuela.

The Catalan club is quite invested in his signing as per reports. Despite competition from other European sides such as PSG, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Manchester United still being there, both Barcelona and ‘Messinho’ seem to have a preference towards one another.

In terms of Messinho’s progression, his journey in the Brazilian junior Under-20 ‘Copinha’ is already over. Palmeiras U-20 ended up losing surprisingly to Aster Brasil in the Round of 16.

However, ‘Messinho’ was as bright as ever individually. Scoring four goals and providing two assists in five appearances, his quality remains proven.

However, he will also be present at the Olympic Qualifiers over in Venezuela. With ten different teams competing, only two will earn the right to represent South America at the eventual Olympics themselves. That tournament will also have several other starlets Barcelona will want to keep an eye out for.

The names highlighted by MD are Adrey Santos (Chelsea), Oscar Cortes (Lens), Valentin Barco (Boca Juniors), Thiago Almad (Atlanta United), and Claudio Echeverri (River Plate). They will also be assessed by the scouts during their time over in South America.