Barcelona are reportedly scouring the possibility of making a move to land Olympique Lyonnais youngster Houssem Aouar in the upcoming transfer window(s).
There has come a new wave of French wonderkids emerging in Ligue 1 in the last couple of years. And it seems one such player has caught the eye of Barcelona. Lyon wonderkid Houssem Aouar is on the radar of the Catalan club, who are looking to bring him over to the Nou Camp, according to French publication L’Equipe.
Houssem Aouar is the latest prodigy to emerge from the fabled youth academy setup at Olympique Lyonnais. He did drench his boots in senior football in the 2016-17 campaign. But, the 2017-18 season is where he has been given his actual senior breakthrough at the club, only to establish himself as a mainstay in the setup.
2 goals and 3 assists in 15 appearances so far – Lyon are reaping the benefit of the emergence of the 19-year-old, who has added a certain flavour of youth into the midfield. His added ability to play on the left is something that has helped out Lyon in times of necessity.
Aouar is, not surprisingly, a target for Barcelona. The Catalan giants have reportedly scouted the 19-year-old on several occasions this summer and as per reports, it seems the current La Liga leaders have taken a liking to the midfielder.
Houssem Aouar vs Caen (17/18). There’s no surprise that Barça are after him when he keeps coming up with performances like this.pic.twitter.com/VpXDa0DTXT
— . (@PassDontShoot) December 5, 2017
According to the report, Barcelona have already started laying the groundwork for a potential move in the future. They have already established contact with Aouar’s agent and have made him aware of their interest in his client’s services.
Barcelona do not seem to be in a hurry either, with the club looking at Aouar as more of a summer target than following their interest with a bid in the January transfer window. For the Blaugrana, midfield has always been the backbone of their success in almost every season.
However, with Xavi and Andres Iniesta no more at their domineering best – Xavi has left the club while Iniesta is already 33 and the age is starting to show in his gameplay – and young recruits like Denis Suarez and Andre Gomes not exactly setting the Nou Camp alight, the club is looking to beef up their options in the said area.
Paulinho was brought in during the summer, but has so far been used in a more advanced role and given the success that he has had, Ernesto Valverde is unlikely to shift him into the midfield three for many matches.
Philippe Coutinho, Ander Herrera and Juan Mata are all reported targets for Barcelona. But, in case they fail to reinforce their midfield in January, they are ready to turn their interest into a real bid for Aouar in the summer. Aouar though, might not want a move.
The 19-year-old has been with Lyon his entire career and would ideally like to develop at the club for a few years before looking towards the next step of his footballing career.
