Barcelona are reportedly scouting teenage Real Sociedad striker Jon Karrikaburu, who has a massive release clause worth €60 million in his contract.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are tracking the progress of 19-year-old Spanish striker Jon Karrikaburu who plies his trade for fellow La Liga club Real Sociedad.
Jon Karrikaburu came through the youth ranks at Real Sociedad and has established himself as a mainstay in the Basque outfit’s B team over the past 12 months. He has enjoyed a productive campaign for the reserves, scoring ten goals in 28 games and even made his first-team debut for La Real in September last year.
Karrikaburu has featured twice for the Spanish Under-21 side after making his debut last year. The 19-year-old may not have had a lot of first-team football under his belt, but his promise and potential seem to have alerted Barcelona, who are believed to be scouting the young striker.
Indeed, Barcelona are focusing on strengthening their ranks at the first-team level as well as the reserves with youngsters with untapped potential. They recently signed Pablo Torre from Racing Santander and are also keeping tabs on the progress of 20-year-old Real Sociedad midfield prospect Benat Turrientes.
At the same time, Barcelona are also tracking the development of Karrikaburu, with scout Jon Andoni Goikoetxea following the youngster for quite some time now.
Barcelona are in the market for attacking reinforcements, with a new marquee striker on the top of their wishlist. It has led to links with superstars like Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski. At the same time, they will need to bring in one or two young forwards to ensure squad depth as the likes of Martin Braithwaite, Ousmane Dembele and Luuk de Jong are all expected to depart the club in the summer.
Karrikaburu, to that end, can be a handy addition who can initially join up with Barcelona’s B team setup before being gradually brought into the first-team fold. However, signing the 19-year-old Spaniard will not be straightforward as Real Sociedad have tied him down to a new contract until 2026, which includes a massive release clause of €60 million.
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So, it remains to be seen if Barcelona decide to act on their interest in Jon Karrikaburu in the summer or continue scouting him until he gets more exposure in senior football before attempting to sign him.
