La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are reportedly tracking the progress of 17-year-old French wonderkid Ilyes Housni at Paris Saint-Germain.
According to a report by French outlet Le 10 Sport, Ilyes Housni is the subject of interest from Barcelona over a possible move in the 2023 summer transfer window. The 17-year-old prodigy might leave Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent when his contract expires on June 30.
Ilyes Housni has spent his formative years at half a dozen French clubs, including Paris FC. And the teenage wonderkid joined Paris Saint-Germain three years ago, making swift progress since then. Housni has gone from strength to strength so much that he is on the cusp of earning his first-team debut.
The 17-year-old has been making waves in the UEFA Youth League, amassing eight goals and two assists in six appearances. But Housni is yet to sign his first professional contract with PSG, meaning he can become a free agent next summer. Such a situation has captured the attention of Barcelona.
The Catalan giants have been closely monitoring the progress of the French prodigy at PSG for some time. And the interest in Housni is understandable, considering Robert Lewandowski is well into his thirties. So while the Polish striker has been in top form thus far this season, Barcelona will need to plan for life after him.
Several young strikers have thus emerged on Barcelona’s radar, including Endrick. But signing the Brazilian whizkid will be a tall order for the Blaugrana, with several other European bigwigs keen on signing him. And recent reports have claimed that the 16-year-old is eager to join arch-rival Real Madrid.
So Barcelona will have to identify alternatives to Endrick, bringing Housni into the picture. While the 17-year-old should have a bright future at PSG, he is yet to commit himself to Les Parisiens. So that gives Barcelona a window of opportunity to poach the French prodigy on a free transfer next summer.
It will be interesting to see how PSG’s bid to tie Housni to his first professional contract shapes up. For now, Barcelona might fancy the chances of securing the services of the 17-year-old on a free transfer.
