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What's the story?
Spanish outlet Marca has reported that Barcelona are in the race to sign 18-year-old Groningen midfield sensation Ludovit Reis. With the average age of the Blaugrana midfield getting into the wrong side of the thirties, it is a well known fact that Ernesto Valverde's Barcelona are looking to bring in reinforcements.
The club has already begun the reconstruction of their midfield with 21-year-old AFC Ajax's Frenkie de Jong who is set to join by next season.
In case you didn't know...
Barcelona are on an all-conquering rampage across all competitions, steamrolling Manchester United 4-0 across two legs to reach the UEFA Champions League semifinals. They have raced to a 12-point lead in the La Liga with yesterday's 2-0 win over Alaves, with just 4 games left in the season.
The Blaugrana have already qualified for the Copa del Rey final, where they will face Valencia and Valverde's side look poised to win a historic 'treble treble'. Barcelona are already the only major European league side to have won two trebles and a third treble would further solidify their reputation as one of the greatest club sides to have ever played the beautiful game.
The heart of the matter
As reported by Marca, Hans Nijland, the executive director at Dutch Eredivisie side Groningen, has commented on Barcelona's interest in their 18-year-old defensive midfielder Ludovit Reis. Reis has played 27 matches in the Eredivisie this season, starting 24 times and has impressed with his performance, contributing one goal and two assists from defensive midfield.
"We're seriously considering the possibility that he leaves for Barcelona next season," Nijland told Fox Sports.
In February 2019, Reis had become the third-youngest player to get to 25 Eredivisie starts, joining the elite company of legends like Ronald Koeman and Arjen Robben.
The young midfielder, who is adept at both an attacking or a defensive midfield role, is reportedly valued at six million euros by Groningen. The club also confirmed that a delegation from Barcelona, led by director of professional youth football Jose Mari Bakero, had paid a visit to the Netherlands to have negotiations about the player.
What's next?
Barcelona can secure the La Liga title with a win over Levante, which will be played at 12:15 am IST on Sunday. Groningen, who are 9th in the Dutch Eredivisie table, face Zwolle tonight at 11:00 pm IST.
