Barcelona have reportedly wrapped up the signing of Penarol prodigy Santiago Bueno, beating Real Madrid to the Uruguayan.
Renowned Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has reported that Barcelona have snapped up prodigious Uruguayan defender Santiago Bueno. The Penarol youngster was believed to be in the midst of a transfer battle between Barcelona and Real Madrid. But it seems the Catalans have trumped their arch-rivals.
Santiago Ignacio Bueno Sciutto was actually first monitored by Real Madrid during their scouting missions in Latin America, but Los Blancos ended up signing Federico Valverde from the Uruguayan league and opted not to pursue the 18-year-old.
The youngster was reported to have an Italian passport, making a potential move to Europe easier. But as Real Madrid have been pondering over a bid, Barcelona have not only joined the race, but also moved ahead of Los Blancos in the pursuit of the 18-year-old.
Spanish publication Sport also confirmed recently that Barcelona were indeed preparing to move for Santiago Bueno. The report also iterated that the club has sent scouts to monitor the player’s progress in the South American Under-20 Championship.
Barcelona B will sign Uruguayan defender Santiago Bueno (18) on a five-year contract for 5M. [ovacion via md]
— barcabstuff (@barcabstuff) January 31, 2017
And now Gianluca Di Marzio has reported that the Catalans have secured a permanent deal for the Uruguayan prodigy. Marzio has stated that Bueno has signed a contract with Barcelona, the details of which are yet to be fully disclosed, while the fee has also been kept under the wraps.
Other reports state that Bueno will be signing a five-year contract with Barcelona, who have agreed a €5 million fee for the 18-year-old.
However the club’s pending official announcement might reveal one or more of the undisclosed details. Real Madrid on the other hand, would be gutted to lose out on another prodigy and in another transfer battle to their long-standing rivals.
Los Blancos have been taking a beating from the Catalan outfit in recent times, albeit off-the-field and Florentino Perez is unlikely to be happy about the developments surrounding Santiago Bueno, especially after Real Madrid were the first team to identify the potential of the youngster.
The player is likely to join the youth squad but could also be used in Barcelona’s B Team and is widely seen as a future first-team player at Nou Camp. Bueno will look to make his mark in Spain, and we could see another Uruguayan shine for the Blaugrana.
