"He hasn’t signed anything with anyone yet" - Joan Laporta sounds confident of Barcelona beating Premier League club to 18-year-old star

Barcelona president Joan Laporta remains optimistic about his side beating Tottenham Hotspur to the signing of teenage star Lucas Bergvall in the summer. The English side edged Barcelona to reach an agreement with the young Swedish midfielder to join them in July, as per Sky Sports.

The Catalan giants were reportedly on the verge of signing the 18-year-old when Tottenham stepped in. The north London club then agreed personal terms with the teenager, who will join their first team in July. The deal is valued at more than €10 million, as per Fabrizio Romano.

Barcelona president Laporta has, however, refused to concede defeat in his pursuit of the youngster. He told RAC1 that Tottenham offered a better financial deal, but he believed his side could sign Bergvall even with a lower offer.

He said:

“He’s a great player, whom Deco has followed for a long time. As far as I know, he hasn’t signed anything with anyone yet.

“We made an offer, we had everything agreed with him and the club. Tottenham have made him an offer with much more money. Our proposal is to play in the reserve team, working with the dynamics of the first team, but we are not going to make Tottenham’s financial offer.”

The young midfielder is set to undergo a medical on Friday (February 2) before making the deal official (via Sky Sports).

Barcelona legend could be in the running to become new manager

Barcelona president Laporta has refused to rule out that club legend Rafael Marquez could be in the running to become the manager of the club. The Mexican was with the club as a player between 2003 and 2010 and was a stalwart for the side, winning the treble in 2009.

Marquez was appointed as the manager of Barcelona B in July 2022 on a contract due to run until July 2024. Laporta told RAC1 that the 44-year-old could be in consideration to become the side's new manager, with everything depending on sporting director Deco.

“New manager? This must be decided by Deco. The one who comes must have a certain record, unless we make a more creative decision. Rafa Marquez? Can’t rule him out”.

The club reportedly have several names on their list as they look to replace Xavi, who announced his impending exit last month.