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Barcelona Looking To Nab Manchester United And England Lad Tied To The Club Until 2018

Angel Gomes

Angel Gomes

Manchester United and other English clubs are prone to poaching of lesser clubs when it comes to the highly talented youngsters. The top clubs have been criticised heavily for the way they have attracted talent as young as 14 or 15. However, they are not only limited to the lesser clubs alone and even top clubs are affected. Arsenal managed to nab Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona when he was just a teenager. Now, though, it appears that English clubs are set for a dose of their own medicine, as Barcelona are interested in Manchester United youngster Angel Gomes, according to Daily Mail.

The 16-year-old is reportedly being heavily monitored by Barcelona with a view of bringing him in 2017. One of the highly attractive elements about Gomes could be his contractual situation. As he has a contract that runs up only until 2018, it presents a great opportunity for foreign clubs to hold negotiations even though it may be illegal. If Barcelona end up signing Gomes in a free transfer, they may only have to pay a training compensation according to FIFA rules.

Over the years, Manchester United have produced several talented youngsters. Paul Pogba is one of the latest to have emerged from the United youth team. There is an undeniable thought at the club that Gomes is probably the next big thing. A creative attacking midfielder with a lot of skill, the only concerns about Gomes making it to the very top is his physical stature. As the Premier League remains one of the most physical in the world, it takes a lot of strength to deal with the tough tackling defensive midfielders and defenders.

Barcelona are probably the greatest example of getting a small player perform at his very best while overcoming all the issues about physicality. Lionel Messi managed to overcome growth issues and still claim a record five FIFA Ballon d’Or awards. He is regarded as one of the best in the world. Therefore, Barcelona will feel quietly confident about the player’s abilities even when he may not be the best physical specimen around.

The possibility of the Catalan club being able to sign the youngster are quite high considering that he has Portuguese roots. Gomes’ father used to represent the Portugal Under 21 team and he played alongside names like Rui Costa and Luis Figo. However, Gomes has chosen to represent England in the youth stages and he may consider his allegiance when the possibility of making a debut for the senior team comes around.

Barcelona are only recently punished by FIFA for flouting the rules when it comes to signing young players. They may be quite concerned about this element ahead of making their interest on Gomes quite serious.

Written by Bharath Rammr

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