Barcelona has beaten the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in the race to sign Argentinian wonder kid Lucas Patanelli. The 16-year-old, who currently plays for Independiente, is considered one of South America’s biggest prospects and has been compared to both Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero.
A versatile midfielder, Patanelli has been praised for his exceptional dribbling abilities and is comfortable playing on both the wing and in a playmaker role. Sharing many similarities to Messi, Patanelli has struggled to make the Independiente first team due to his small stature, something Messi also experienced before he was bought by Barcelona at the age of 13 and put on a special programme which saw him treated with $900 worth of human growth hormone a month.
Although Patanelli may not require the same drastic treatment Messi did, Independiente currently has him on a specific nutritional programme which will help the young midfielder grow physically.
While Spanish newspaper Marca reported in October that Patanelli had signed a pre-contract agreement with Real Madrid, it appears Barcelona have snatched the talented youngster from under Madrid’s nose. According to Spanish news agency EFE, Barcelona has spent £3.2 million in order to obtain a 50 percent stake in the Argentinian and the right to sign the player first. The youngster will reportedly stay at Independiente until Barcelona deem him ready to move.
The news will come as a massive blow to Madrid, who reportedly flew the youngster to the club’s training facilities late last year and introduced him to the first team squad. Speaking to Marca at the time, Patanelli seemed to all but confirm he would be signing for Los Blancos.
“It’s a very nice feeling when a club asks for you, especially when it’s such a big club like Real Madrid,” he said. “I travelled (to Madrid) with my whole family, they took me to meet the players. I talked with them, it was nice. I met Cristiano Ronaldo. My dream is to play for the Independiente first team, but if the move to Real Madrid goes ahead it will be even better”.
The move never transpired, however, and was most likely due to the fact the player had yet to turn 16 and was ineligible to sign a contract under FIFA regulations.
Manchester City were also reportedly monitoring the young star and attempted to use the influence of Sergio Aguero, an Independiente legend, to help convince the young player to move to the Etihad.
Aguero's younger brother Mauricio del Castillo, who also plays for Independiente, was also involved in attempting to convince Patanelli to move to Manchester, however, the young Argentinian decided instead to sign with the Catalonian outfit.
In what could turn out to be a massive coup for Barcelona, the future is looking very bright for the La Liga champions.
For those who want a better idea of the young Argentinians talent, check out the video below of a younger Patanelli showing off his juggling skills.
