Barcelona see 16-year-old Portuguese forward as a target for next summer | OneFootball

Barcelona may be stacked in terms of young talent in the squad, but that does not stop them from scouting other highly touted sensations emerging from youth football.

Still desirous of bringing in fresh talent to Catalonia, Joan Laporta and Co. have thus kept an eye on several young players in recent months, and one such name is that of Cardoso Varela.

The Portuguese forward, who currently plays for Dinamo Zagreb, has long fascinated Barcelona’s board, and the club even attempted to sign him this summer. His renewal until 2028 put talks to a halt, but the Blaugrana refuse to budge on their interest.

An objective for next season

As confirmed in a recent report by Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona really like Varela and the board highly regard his talent and high ceiling.

Thus, they see him as a great option for the next summer transfer window and have him on their wish list as a potential signing.

Deco is already working on next summer’s targets. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Still just 16 years of age, the youngster has already earned a spot in Dinamo Zagreb’s first team and secured his promotion from the youth side this summer.

He was explosive in preseason, scoring two goals and providing an assist in just four games for the senior side, and will thus remain in the loop of the senior team throughout the season.

In many ways, the current season is seen as the one where he matures and develops ahead of a big move away.

Varela’s current contract with the Croatian side runs until the summer of 2028, and signing him at this moment will be complicated for Barcelona given their financial situation.

They will, however, look to make a proposal intensive in variables akin to the €5 million plus €20 million in variables they were willing to offer for him this summer.

Given that his agent is Andy Bara, the same representative who works with Joan Garcia and Dani Olmo, there is reason to be optimistic.