Barcelona have reportedly set their sights on Boca Juniors wonderkid Manuel Roffo over a move this summer.
Spanish publication Don Balon have reported that Barcelona have been closely following the latest developments in Argentine football and a teenage prodigy has caught their eye. Manuel Roffo, a 17-year-old goalkeeping sensation is the subject of interest from the Catalan club and could be on his way to Camp Nou.
Roffo joined the Boca Juniors youth setup in 2012 and has made rapid strides in the club’s famed academy to break into the club’s reserve side at the nascent age of 17. In fact, his progress has been so impressive that he is now on the cusp of making the senior squad, having been Guillermo Barros Schelotto’s pre-season squad.
Often underestimated for his short stature, what the youngster lacks in height he often makes up for it with his shot stopping abilities. Perhaps, what is more surprising is that Roffo is adept in aerial situations, another quality that has seen him make rapid progress through various age ranks for club and country.
Manuel Roffo, arquero surgido de las inferiores y que está en Ciudad del Este con la primera, está siendo observado por el Barcelona.
— ?Alegria Xeneize? (@alegria_xeneize) July 25, 2017
Indeed, Roffo is already a fully-fledged member of the Argentina under-20 setup and was a part of the under-20 World Cup squad – the event that was played in South Korea earlier this year. His exploits have now caught the eye at Barcelona, who have been keenly following his progress for some time now.
The Catalan club have seen a sort of an exodus from their fabled La Masia academy this summer, with several top talents departing for pastures anew. Eric Garcia and Jordi Mboula have already left the club, while Mateu Morey and Lee Seung-woo have been heavily linked with a summer exit as well.
At the same time though, the Blaugrana have also been recruiting some of the most promising players in the world, with Vitinho and Jose Luis Trapaga being the most recent additions, albeit for the reserve side. And Roffo looks likely to become the latest player to make their way to Barcelona this summer.
Should he indeed join Barcelona this summer, the 17-year-old is likely to be included in the youth setup before he makes the gradual progression to the senior side. And if he continues developing at an impressive rate, he could well be challenging Marc-Andre ter Stegen to be the first-choice goalkeeper in no time.
It now remains to be seen if Barcelona make their move for the Boca Juniors whizkid to continue their summer recruitment spree.
