Barcelona are reportedly in talks to sign teenage prodigy Yusuf Demir from Austrian giants Rapid Wien in the summer transfer window.
According to a report from Austrian publication Kronen Zeitung, La Liga heavyweights Barcelona have entered talks to sign 17-year-old wonderkid Yusuf Demir from Rapid Wien in the summer.
The teenage attacking midfielder, who can also play on the wings, as well as a centre-forward, started out at the academy of First Vienna FC before linking up with the Rapid youth setup in 2013. Having risen through the ranks rapidly, Demir made his first-team debut for the Austrian outfit in December last year.
Demir went on to feature six times in total last term, contributing with a solitary assist. However, the teenager has seen more regular first-team action in the ongoing campaign, having already made 17 appearances across all competitions, in which he has also chipped in with four goals and two assists.
Demir’s accelerated development in Vienna has seen him attract interest from some of the biggest clubs including the likes of Manchester United and Ajax. However, it is Barcelona that seem to be at the forefront of the interest in the teenage sensation.
It is claimed in the report that Demir’s representative, Emre Ozturk, is in Catalonia in order to discuss a potential transfer to Camp Nou. The agent posted a picture of himself wearing a sweater with Barcelona crest along with the caption “Ready for meeting” on his social media account, further fueling the speculations.
However, Ozturk denied claims that he was in Barcelona to negotiate a move for Demir. Instead, he insisted that he was there to hold talks over a transfer for Arsenal star Shkodran Mustafi, who has been linked with a January transfer to Camp Nou.
Nevertheless, the report claims that Demir is firmly on the radars of Barcelona, with his representatives set to discuss the plans that the Catalan giants have for the teenager. However, it is claimed that he will not be leaving Rapid Wien in January.
The 17-year-old will stay put at the club until the end of the 2020/21 campaign – something that manager Dietmar Kuhbauer has stressed upon in the past. But, with Demir’s contract running out in 2022, he is all but guaranteed to secure an exit from the Austrian outfit in the summer. It remains to be seen if it is Barcelona where the Austrian U-21 international ends up next year.
