Barcelona set sights on 21-year-old right-back playing for bitter rivals – report | OneFootball

Of late, Barcelona have been credited with an interest in Spanish goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who plies his trade for their local rivals RCD Espanyol.

It has been suggested that the Blaugrana have already made contact with the 23-year-old’s camp, with the player also attracting interest from Premier League giants Arsenal.

However, it appears that Garcia is not the only Espanyol player who has managed to catch Barça’s attention.

Barcelona eye Omar El Hilali

Indeed, according to SPORT, Barcelona have now set their sights on Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali as a potential target for the summer.

It is no secret that the Catalan giants intend to sign a new right-back before next season and have been heavily linked with a move for Andrei Ratiu of Rayo Vallecano.

Now, Omar El Hilali has also emerged as one of the names under consideration at the club, though he is not currently the top priority.

Omar El Hilali on Barcelona’s radar. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

However, Deco is keen on recruiting a young player with high potential to shape into the club’s system, and El Hilali fits the bill.

El Hilali has rejected Barcelona in the past

El Hilali has gone on record about how he turned down a couple of chances to join Barcelona in the past – once before he signed for the Espanyol academy and once more a few years later.

“I had the opportunity to choose between Barça and Espanyol, and I chose Espanyol because I felt that it had to be that way, and my family also thought it was the best thing for me,” the 21-year-old said in an interview in December.

“It was the sporting project I wanted. And I think I made the right choice, because now I am living a dream,” he added.

“They [Manchester United] wanted me, just as Barça tried to sign me again, but I was very clear that I wanted to stay at Espanyol,” El Hilali further revealed.

Given his strong connection with Espanyol, it seems unlikely that the 21-year-old right-back would be willing to make the jump to Barcelona come summer.