Rumors are just one half of the actual story, and that involves players being linked to Barcelona. Whenever the transfer window approaches, the Catalan club seems to automatically become one of the busiest clubs in the world.
However, it seems a certain player being linked to Barcelona may be a speculation quite close to becoming a reality.
Claudio Echeverri, aged 17, is an attacking midfielder who plays for Argentine side River Plate. An exceptional talent, he exploded into stardom at the recent Under-17 FIFA World Cup in Indonesia. Against Brazil, he even managed to score a hat trick in the knockout stages of the competition.
As such, many of Europe’s elite clubs had their eyes on the young Argentinean. However, recent reports began to rain down without pause linking the player to Barcelona and some even suggesting that it is an advanced operation already.
However, it seems that Xavi Hernandez himself may have now added more fuel to this fire. During his recent press conference, as highlighted by SPORT, he was asked about the young 17-year-old.
Rather than completely avoid the question, which is common practice in such scenarios, Xavi chose to give a statement about Claudio Echeverri:
“Yes, I do know him, he’s a talent, he is a differential player, but that’s already the scouting department’s area, they’re on it.”
By labeling him as a differential player and also that the scouting department may be working on a possible signing, Xavi confirmed two things at the very least.
One, the Barcelona head coach definitely thinks of the player as a special talent. Two, there is definite interest from Barcelona in the youngster.
His contract is set to expire in December of 2024, but Barcelona may end up moving for him even before that. Moreover, the Catalan giants seem to already have a plan of action in regards to how best to approach his potential acquisition.
