"He has played many games at a very difficult time" - Cesc Fabregas says Liverpool target must stay at Barcelona

Former Barcelona star Cesc Fabregas says Gavi must stay at the Camp Nou despite interest from Liverpool.

The 17-year-old broke into the Blaugrana first team in August last year at the start of their 2021-22 campaign. He quickly became one of the best young players in Europe.

Gavi's stock rose further under manager Xavi, who replaced Ronald Koeman at the helm. The teenager capped off his campaign with 47 appearances across competitions, contributing eight league goals in 34 games.

Gavi's meteoric rise to prominence hasn't gone unnoticed, with several big clubs expressing interest, particularly Liverpool, but Gavi is keen to stay put in Catalonia.

Fabregas also feels the teenager could improve further at the club and must stay put. In a recent interview with Catalunya Radio, Fabregas said (via Barca Blaugranes):

“He has to stay here. He has played many games at a very difficult time in the club’s history, and at 17 years old he has shown his face, going into games with a lot of personality. He’s very good, but, of course, he’s only 17 years old, and he can improve a lot."

Gavi is under contract with Barcelona till 2023 and has a release clause set at €50 million, which Spanish news outlet Diario Sport reported Liverpool are willing to pay.

Despite the player's willingness to continue his allegiance with the Blaugrana, there has been no progress in contract negotiations thus far. Complicating matters further was president Joan Laporta hitting out at Gavi's agent Ivan de la Pena with comments that didn't go down well with him.

Liverpool have a better offer than Barcelona, with the club currently unable to match the Reds' offer due to their poor financial condition.

Diario further reports that Reds manager Jurgen Klopp is a fan of Gavi, whose profile seems ideal for the Premier League, although a move to England hasn't crossed the youngster's mind yet.

---

Barcelona must keep faith in youth

One of the important reasons for Xavi's success at Barcelona in such a short time has been his faith in young players.

He has blooded some promising young talents into the senior team, with six La Masia players making their debut under him. Gavi is arguably the most impressive prospect of them all, so letting him go would be a mistake.

The 17-year-old is a bonafide Blaugrana product and could develop further under Xavi's watchful tutelage next season.