Back in March, Mundo Deportivo revealed that Crystal Palace and Newcastle wanted to bring Barcelona gem Marc Casado to the Premier League.
The Eagles and the Magpies remain interested in signing the 18-year-old, although now, Mundo Deportivo have provided a fresh update on the talented Spaniard’s future.
What’s the story?
Well, it isn’t good news for Patrick Vieira or Eddie Howe.
The Spanish news outlet believe Casado is close to signing a new contract at the Camp Nou, following fears that he would leave on a free transfer at the end of June.
Impressively, the teenager – who captains Barcelona at Under-19 level – has been invited by Xavi to train with the first-team, and it now seems as if he will stay in Catalonia.
Mundo Deportivo add that Crystal Palace and Newcastle are still in contention to sign Casado, but he is now much closer to signing a fresh new at Barcelona.
Marc Casado should choose Crystal Palace over Newcastle
If Casado does end up leaving Barcelona for whatever reason, we believe Selhurst Park would be a much better destination for him than St James’ Park.
In south London, Patrick Vieira is building a team full of young talent, such as Michael Olise, Tyrick Mitchell, Marc Guéhi and Eberechi Eze.
All of these prospects have improved under the Frenchman, and they have also been given plenty of Premier League action, meaning Vieira is likely to trust Casado to play first-team football regularly.
On the contrary, at Newcastle, Eddie Howe hasn’t blooded many youngsters, and he has the luxury of being able to spend £40m on the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, rather than the slower process of developing a young talent.
In that respect, if Casado does leave Barcelona, he should choose to join another team who play in red and blue…
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
