Barcelona continues to monitor talented stars across Europe and even the world beyond. With new talents popping up from the streets of South America and the academies of European clubs, it is important for the Catalan giants to assess any anomaly of prodigious talent.
However, once players become too mainstream, their valuation and the attention they get escalate. Given their economic limitations at the moment, Barcelona cannot afford to enter bidding wars. Consequently, there is one particular name that is now being linked to La Blaugrana.
Serbian Wonderkid
According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Barcelona have their eyes set on Matija Popovic. Born in 2006, the 17-year-old Serbian forward has been making some major waves recently. Currently playing for Partizan Belgrade, the player is set to become a free agent in December of this year.
Extraordinary tall already at 1.93 meters, the Serbian surprises with his technical gifts. Despite being of the stature that he is, he is nimble with his feet and amazes with his ability to dribble and do so at a fast pace.
Next Gen 60: 2006
Born in Germany, he has since been in Serbia while developing into the player that he is today. The Guardian included him recently in their list of the 60 best Next Gen players born in 2006. Coincidently, four Barcelona youngsters have also made the same list as well.
Free agent in January
The Guardian also highlighted how renewal talks between his family and his Serbian club have broken down. This will result in him being up for grabs in January for absolutely free.
This would work rather perfectly for a restricted Barcelona, who would not be able to spend much anyway in January. However, given his technical powers and tendency to play his best football as a second striker of sorts, Barça may just end up considering him ideal for their style of play.
Real Madrid and Dortmund lurking
However, they face stiff competition from Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. Both Blancos and the Bundesliga sides are intrigued by the player. They are expected to launch an offensive for him themselves as well, something Barcelona will need to meet. For now, there is no definitive answer from the player’s side and his decision is yet to be made.
One thing must be kept in mind, however, and that is Vitor Roque’s situation. Still waiting for Barcelona to clear up enough space to ensure his arrival in January, Roque would be expecting himself to be their first priority.
However, in the event that Barcelona is unable to generate the required FFP, Popovic may just be the safest bet. In the short term, a quality entry like that of the Serbian’s could just give Barcelona the required boost for the ongoing season.
