Barcelona News Roundup: Barca looking to sign 18-year-old dubbed 'next Rijkaard', Club held talks with Juve for Matthijs De Ligt and more - 9 May 2021
Barcelona reportedly have an upper hand over Manchester United and Juventus as they look to sign an 18-year-old who could be the next big thing in football.
Barcelona let go of another opportunity to go top of the La Liga table after having to settle for a goalless draw with Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou on Saturday. The La Liga title race looks set to go down to the last gameweek. Barcelona also have one eye on the upcoming summer transfer window which could prove to be quite a busy one for the club.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 9 May 2021.
Sergio Busquets back in training
Sergio Busquets suffered what looked like a nasty facial injury in the game against Atletico Madrid on Saturday. He had to be taken off after 30 minutes following a collision with Atletico Madrid centre-back Stefan Savic.
Busquets has been in good form for Barcelona and the club ran the risk of having to go through the rest of the fixture list without the Spaniard in their side. However, they have received a major boost since Busquets returned to training today. He reportedly undertook a recovery session today.
According to AS, Busquets has not yet been ruled out of Barcelona's game against Levante on Tuesday.
Juventus rejected Barcelona's advances for Matthijs De Ligt
Barcelona are looking to strengthen their defence this summer. With Samuel Umtiti likely to leave the club in the summer and Gerard Pique not getting any younger, Barcelona will try to sign a top centre-back and according to AS, the Catalans have already sounded out the possibility of signing Matthijs De Ligt from Juventus.
During discussions over the European Super League, the young centre-back's name cropped up in discussions. Barcelona enquired about the possibility of a deal but Juventus rebuffed it immediately. The Bianconeri have reportedly made it clear that they have no plans to sell De Ligt.
This comes as a huge blow to Barcelona, who have already missed out on signing David Alaba on a free.
Barcelona favourites to sign Ryan Gravenberch
Barcelona are interested in signing 18-year-old Ajax sensation Ryan Gravenberch and according to Mundo Deportivo, they hold an upperhand over the rest of the chasing pack. Manchester United and Juventus are also interested in signing Gravenberch, who is a promising defensive midfielder.
Gravenberch has been likened to Dutch football legend Frank Rijkaard and Barcelona are keeping tabs on him. Barcelona reportedly have an upperhand over Manchester United and Juventus as they have a strong relationship with Ajax.
Despite being just 18-years-old, Gravenberch has become a regular feature in Ajax's starting lineup and has appeared in 30 games in the Eredivisie. He has also scored three goals and provided five assists in the Dutch league this season.