Liverpool ready to pay €50 million for Barcelona teenage prodigy

After Pedri in the 2020/21 season, Barcelona have unearthed another gem in the ongoing campaign in the form of Gavi.

The 17-year-old midfielder, a product of the club’s La Masia academy, has enjoyed a stunning breakthrough season at Camp Nou, quickly establishing himself as a mainstay in the middle of the park in the senior team. The teenager has also broken into the Spanish national team.

Held in the highest of regard at Barça, Gavi is expected to be at the core of the team that Xavi Hernandez is building. However, the Catalans have some concerns with the young midfield maestro’s contract situation.

The ex-Real Betis starlet’s current deal runs out in 2023 and has a release clause worth just €50 million. Barcelona have been pressing hard to hand him a new contract and bump up his release clause amount, as the current value leaves them vulnerable to raids from elite clubs across Europe who have taken an interest in him.

Talks over a new deal have progressed smoothly and everything seems to be in order for an extension that would see his exit clause rise to €500 million. However, with the Blaugrana being keen on registering Gavi as a first-team player, they are waiting on some players to leave so that they can find room on the wage bill.

Yusuf Demir’s exit is on the verge of being finalised, but Barcelona will be registering Ferran Torres in the space left by the Austrian. So, they are waiting for Luuk de Jong’s departure to finalise Gavi’s contract and make him a senior squad member.

Liverpool ready to capitalise

As iterated earlier, this situation leaves them vulnerable to potential swoops from other clubs, who can deposit the release clause amount at the La Liga headquarters and sign the midfield sensation.

And according to El Nacional that is exactly what Liverpool are planning to do. The Reds manager, Jurgen Klopp, is believed to be a huge admirer of Gavi’s talents and wants to bring him to Anfield.

The Merseysiders did not replace Georginio Wijnaldum in the summer while Thiago Alcantara has struggled with injuries since arriving in 2020. Jordan Henderson and James Milner are not getting any younger, and the midfield department will be weakened by Naby Keita’s involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations this month.

With the transfer window already open in England, the German tactician has urged the club’s owners to trigger Gavi’s €50 million release clause to bolster their midfield unit.

Ivan de la Pena, the agent of Gavi, has informed Barcelona that he is receiving a lot of approaches from clubs for the teenage sensation. So, the sooner the Catalans resolve the situation the better.