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Barcelona are reportedly set to win the race to sign Rapid Vienna attacker Yusuf Demir.
The 17-year-old is also reportedly on Manchester United’s radar. However, Barcelona have acted quickly as new president Joan Laporta has "stepped up efforts" to sign the teenager this summer.
In the last year or so, Barcelona have signed some talented young players, and Demir could soon join them for a fee of around €6 to €8 million.
As per Fussball Transfers, Demir’s impressive performances have attracted interest from the likes of Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, VfB Stuttgart and Manchester United.
Yusuf Demir will join a talented group of young players at Barcelona
After last season’s humiliation in the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona have decided to go for a summer restructure and have signed several talented young players.
The likes of Francisco Trincao, Sergino Dest and Pedri were signed, while academy products like Ansu Fati, Oscar Mingueza and Ronald Araujo have been given opportunities as well.
Yusuf Demir now appears to be the next talented player to join the precocious talents at Barcelona.
The youngster’s style of play has been compared to that of Lionel Messi, as he has a brilliant left foot and is good with his passing and shooting in the final third.
A player with a lot of potential, Demir has already impressed for the Rapid Vienna senior team. He is a regular in the Austrian Bundesliga and has made 17 appearances already this season, scoring thrice in the process.
Demir was also handed some playing time in the Europa League, and he did well in what is a high level of competition for a 17-year-old.
A fee of around €8 million might seem steep for a teenager, but he will be a long-term investment. Barcelona are not in a good position financially to make record-breaking signings, so they will have to make do with the best young players out there.
Ronald Koeman has integrated the younger players pretty well this season, and if he can do the same with Demir, the attacker could turn out to be a fine player.
