Barcelona held a two-hour long meeting with 18-year-old target’s agent – report

With the option of Joao Cancelo seemingly no longer on the table due to financial reasons, Barcelona will look to press ahead with their pursuit of Real Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresneda.

The 18-year-old Spanish teenager has been on the club’s radars for a long time and has the backing of several key members of the technical staff, including sporting director Deco.

However, manager Xavi Hernandez wanted someone more experienced, leading to the interest in Cancelo, as well as Juan Foyth of Villarreal.

But both options appear to be out of reach financially, leading to Fresneda as the most likely arrival to reinforce the right-back position.

Barcelona met with Fresneda’s agent

And, earlier today, Barcelona officials held a meeting with one of Fresneda’s agents, Raul Verdu, reports Carlos Monfort of Jijantes FC.

The meeting between the two parties ran for two hours and apart from Fresneda, other names on the agent’s client list were also discussed, as per the update.

The 18-year-old former Real Madrid academy trainee enjoyed a solid debut campaign in La Liga with Valladolid last time out and has a release clause worth €20 million embedded in his contract.

Barça, though, have no intentions of reaching that figure, with recent reports suggesting that the La Liga champions would be looking to offer somewhere around €10 million plus another €5 million in variables.

Competition from Chelsea

However, Barcelona are not alone in pursuit of Fresneda, as the teenager has suitors all across Europe.

Most recently, Chelsea are understood to have entered the race for the 18-year-old right-back which could pose a threat for the Catalan giants.

Fresneda, though, has given priority to the Blaugrana and has even agreed personal terms with the club already.

And, with a move for Cancelo unlikely now, Barcelona could press ahead and close the deal for the young right-back.