Barcelona are reportedly on the verge of signing 20-year-old attacking midfielder Antonio Aranda from Granada, who was also a transfer target for Real Madrid.
According to a report from Ideal de Granada, Barcelona are set to make another addition to their B team roster this summer, with Spanish midfielder Antonio Aranda, who was also on the radars of Real Madrid, set to arrive from Granada.
A product of the Granada youth academy, Aranda has risen through the ranks at the La Liga outfit, going on to make 41 appearances for the club’s second team, in which he has scored six goals.
The 20-year-old attacking midfielder made his senior debut for the Nazaries last season in a Copa del Rey clash against AD San Juan, registering an assist in a 2-0 win. He featured once more in the competition for Granada.
Aranda’s contract with the club expired at the end of the last month and negotiations over a new deal haven’t gone as per plans. Alert to the situation, both Real Madrid and Barcelona were waiting in the wings to swoop, but it is the latter that seem to have clinched the signing of the attacking midfielder, as per the report.
Barcelona have been going strong in their recruitment for the B team as they eye promotion to the Segunda Division after failing at the playoff stages last time out. Set to be under the new management of Sergi Barjuan, the Catalans have already added the likes of Ferran Jutgla and Jordi Escobar to the roster while Yusuf Demir was also signed on a loan deal with an option to make the switch permanent.
More recently, former academy starlet Kays Ruiz-Atil also re-signed on a free transfer, after his contract with Paris Saint-German ran out. And Barcelona seem set to repeat the trick with the signing of Aranda on a Bosman move, following the expiry of his deal with Granada.
Real Madrid themselves have been proactive in strengthening their youth ranks as well as the Castilla squad this summer, with president Florentino Perez intent on producing future stars from within the club. However, it seems like they have been beaten to the signing of Aranda by their arch-rivals Barcelona, with a transfer set to be completed imminently.
