Barcelona have expressed an interest in signing Thiago Almada this summer with Velez Sarsfield’s manager admitting that a young forward linked with Arsenal will be sold if an ‘irresistible offer’ arrives.
There have been countless supposed ‘new Messi’s’ to explode onto the scene in recent years, from Marko Marin to Sardar Azmoun, Ryo Miyachi to Alen Halilovic.
But a 19-year-old born on the outskirts of Buenos Aires could actually be the real deal.
Almada, an Argentian U20 international, is already one of the first names on the Velez Sarsfield teamsheet with his exceptional dribbling skills and eye for goal earning plenty of comparisons with arguably the greatest footballer ever to play the game.
And there is a very real chance that Almada could be sharing a dressing room with Messi himself next season.
“I know that Barcelona has asked within the technical secretariat for Almada, but we know that he is only 19 years old and has to continue maturing,” Pablo Cavallero, the Velez Sarsfield coach, admits to Crack Deportivo.
“If an irresistible offer arrives for the player and the club, we will most likely consider it.”
It remains to be seen what an ‘irresistible offer’ entails – though Mundo Deportivo suggested back in May that his current valuation is around the £20 million mark.
Arsenal are expected to scour the market for some of the game’s brightest stars again this summer after the success of Gabriel Martinelli and Matteo Guendouzi.
But with Barcelona offering Almada the chance to hone his considerable talents alongside the man he has been relentlessly compared to, The Gunners have a mountain to climb.
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