Championship challengers Burnley are fans of former Barcelona youngster Konrad de la Fuente and the USA international looks set to be available in January after falling out of favour at Olympiakos, according to Estadio Deportivo.
With the World Cup now less than a month away, De La Fuente’s lack of minutes in Greece looks set to cost him a seat on the plane to Qatar.
The Miami-born wideman has three caps for the USMNT. But, after being left out of Gregg Berhalter’s most recent squad, De La Fuente seems destined to watch those group-stage clashes with England, Wales and Iran from the comfort of his own sofa.
The Marseille-owned youngster has started just two games for Olympiakos. He hasn’t even been included in the matchday squad for any of the last six Greek Super League games.
As such, De La Fuente’s stay in Piraeus looks certain to be cut short in January, though his future beyond then remains uncertain (L’Equipe).
Could former Barcelona starlet Konrad de la Fuente end up at Burnley?
Estadio Deportivo say that Real Valladolid, Anderlecht, Sassuolo and Sampdoria have all shown an interest in De La Fuente, who played 23 games in all competitions for Marseille in 2021/22. Vincent Kompany’s Burnley are also keen.
Marseille wanted a fee in the region of £5 million over the summer. Now, they are now willing to let De La Fuente go for a reduced sum.
“We know we have really good young players here,” former Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman said back in 2020; highlighting the potential of a player who spent nearly a decade in the La Masia academy.
“If I had to highlight one of the youngsters, I would say Konrad, I am really happy with him.”
“I can play on both wings. I’m fast, I dribble well, I’m good at one-on-ones and I’m a goalscorer,” De La Fuente tells The Guardian.
“The first-team player that I admire most is, of course, (Lionel) Messi. But given my characteristics as a player, I also follow (Ousmane) Dembele closely.”
Anass Zaroury is currently Burnley’s first-choice left-winger. The summer signing from Charleroi has three goals in his last five Championship games.
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