Barcelona are reportedly optimistic about securing the services of 19-year-old German whizkid Karim Adeyemi from Red Bull Salzburg.
According to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are hopeful of signing Karim Adeyemi from Red Bull Salzburg in a deal worth around €30 million. However, the Catalan giants do not expect to secure his services in the January transfer window and will instead wait until the summer to bring him to Camp Nou.
Karim Adeyemi is widely regarded as one of the most promising young players in Europe at the moment. The 19-year-old has been going from strength to strength for Red Bull Salzburg in 2021, particularly showing electric form in the ongoing campaign.
The German whizkid has a brilliant record of 15 goals and two assists in 22 appearances across all competitions. The player’s exploits in the UEFA Champions League, in particular, show what he can do for years to come. Such performances have caught the attention of some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Barcelona.
Barcelona hold a long-standing interest in Adeyemi, having been in his pursuit since 2019. The eagerness to sign him has only grown stronger in the two years since, and he is now rightly a viable target for the Blaugrana.
Barcelona did sign two strikers in the summer transfer window in Sergio Aguero and Luuk de Jong. However, while Aguero has struggled with issues off the field, de Jong has failed to deliver on it, copping flak from Barcelona legends, pundits and fans alike.
So, it is hardly surprising that the Catalan giants are keen on signing a striker, this time bringing in someone who could be a long-term solution spearheading the attacking unit. To that end, Adeyemi fits the bill perfectly, with recent reports claiming that a €40 million offer is being prepared by Barcelona.
However, according to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are unlikely to sign Adeyemi in the January transfer window for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they do not have the required finances to complete a permanent transfer this winter. More importantly, Red Bull Salzburg might not let the 19-year-old leave midway through a season wherein their Champions League campaign is still alive.
Instead, Barcelona expect to secure the German whizkid’s services in the summer transfer window in a deal worth €30 million. So, it remains to be seen if Adeyemi does indeed stick around at Salzburg till the end of the season or if some other club swoops him away instead.