Barcelona are reportedly interested in adding West Bromwich Albion prodigy Louie Barry to their youth setup once the youngster turns 16.
Birmingham Mail claim that Louie Barry is drawing interest from several top European clubs, who are circling the West Bromwich Albion prodigy. Only Barcelona have been named though, in the report, with the Catalan giants keen to bring him to Spain once he turns 16.
FIFA laws do not allow players below the age of 16 to move outside the country within Europe. Louie Barry is currently 15 and will turn 16 soon, on June 21 and will then be eligible for a move outside England, with the report claiming several European clubs are chasing the West Bromwich Albion starlet, who has been at the club for nine years now.
Barry was a regular for the West Brom Under-18s in the Under-18 Premier League, with 4 goals and 3 assists in 12 games this season. The 15-year-old is eligible to represent both England and Republic of Ireland. The player though, has truly shined while representing England so far.
Louie had a record of 10 goals in his five appearances for the Under-15 England side and bagged the Golden Boot as England Under-16s won the Val-de-Marne trophy in France in 2018. A natural number 9 who can score with ease, Louie Barry is drawing interest from Barcelona and other unnamed clubs.
?? West Brom forward Louie Barry is set to join Barcelona, according to Sky Sports.
The 15-year-old has been in prolific form for England U16s, scoring 10 goals in 5 games.
He turns 16 later this month which could see him secure a move to the Spanish giants.#WBA #FCB pic.twitter.com/1RJRSebuT3
— English Players Abroad (@EnglishAbroad1) June 11, 2019
But, West Bromwich Albion are desperate to hold on to their future star. The Baggies have seen a new batch of promising youngsters emerge from their academy setup, with Louie Barry the latest one to be linked with a European giant.
Barcelona have seen a handful of their La Masia stars favour a move to other European bigwigs and smaller clubs in search of a faster track to the first-team setup, with many citing that the academy has been neglected in recent times as far as a clear pathway to the first-team is concerned.
In turn, the club has turned to infuse foreign talents from England into their squad with a similar predicament. Marcus McGuane joined Barcelona from Arsenal and in March 2018, became the first English player to represent Barcelona after Gary Lineker. While the Englishman has been unable to add to his substitute appearance in the Catalan Super Cup final, he has established himself as a regular for the B side.
Barry though, has been tipped to be a generational talent, labelled as a prodigy in the report. The 15-year-old striker is likely to be pleased with the fact that his talent is drawing interest from clubs like Barcelona.
While it is touted that the player is looking for a move away from the club and could complete his move to Barcelona once he turns 16, there has been no confirmation and West Brom are likely to battle till the end for the 15-year-old.