Barcelona, Real Madrid, Dortmund interested in signing 17-year-old Serbian prodigy

Over the last five years, after numerous failed big-name signings from top clubs, Barcelona have learned — the hard way — to skip the middle man and take a punt on young players with a high ceiling.

This high-risk-high-reward strategy worked well with Pedri and Ronald Araujo, but not so much with Pablo Torre and Francisco Trincao, for example.

But failing with young players and offloading them to cut small profits is still a better way than shooting €130 million on a player only for them to fail, or join another big team — PSG for example —, for less than half the buying price.

As such, Barcelona have now taken an interest in a certain 17-year-old Serbian prodigy Matija Popovic, according to a report by Gianluca Di Marzio.

Competition from Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund

Barcelona are far from alone in the pursuit of Popovic, as the report states that both Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund are hot on the trails of the player, and the former could be the first club to make a move for his signature.

An attacking midfielder by trade, Popovic’s contract expires on December 31st, 2023, and he will be available as a free agent then.

After a successful 2022/23 season, scoring 20 goals and assisting five across 24 appearances for Partizan U-19s, the Serbian wants to take his time deciding his future.

Place in the Barcelona midfield

A season ago, Popovic would have probably found it nearly impossible to break into the Barcelona midfield, but with the several injuries the club has encountered this season, he could well be within a shot of a rotational spot.

Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, both, have picked up slightly serious injuries this season already, while Gavi is also feeling discomfort after playing several games in a row. Xavi has, therefore, opted to call up Fermin Lopez to the first-team.

As an attacking-minded player, Popovic can play as part of the front-three as well, and with Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, and Vitor Roque all facing injury troubles, he could be a wildcard solution there.

All said and done, the race is open right now, but with several top clubs keen on signing him, Barcelona will have to step up their pursuit.