Barcelona are interested in signing Romanian international Ianis Hagi who plies his trade with Liga 1 club FC Viitorul in the top-flight in Romania.
According to a report from Diarios AS, the 20-year-old has attracted a lot of interest from all across Europe with the Catalan club and Spartak Moscow leading the line for his signature.
The Blaugrana club could offer more than Spartak and will most likely loan the youngster to Real Valladolid, the report adds.
Hagi plundered 14 goals and provided 8 assists in 39 appearances across all competitions in the recently concluded campaign and is one of the most sought after talents in world football.
One for the future?
The young Romanian is the son of the former Barca and Real Madrid player Gheorghe Hagi, popularly known as ‘Maradona of the Carpathian’.
Ianis primarily features as an attacking midfielder and possess the versatility to switch to either flank, thanks to his supreme ball control with both feet.
He is technically astute and also boasts tremendous trickery which allows him to wriggle past defenders with his pace and dribbling skills giving him a massive advantage over the opponent players.
He averaged a pass success rate of 71.8% with 2.2 long balls, 0.6 crosses and 1 dribble per game across all competitions.
The 20-year-old often cuts inside and likes to have a pop at goal and his set-piece prowess is another feather in the youngster’s cap.
He managed 2.2 shots, 1.6 key passes and was fouled 1.6 times per 90 minutes, all of which is a testament to his strength to protect the ball, confidence in the final third, ability to recycle possession and link up with his teammates.
For someone who features higher up the pitch, Hagi also displays decent defensive contribution on the pitch.
The Viitorul youngster recorded 1.2 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and committed 1.6 fouls per game, something that highlights his presence in the defensive phase of the game.
However, a case for the quality of league can be made but the 20-year-old getting a call up to the national team speaks volumes about the youngster’s huge potential.
He has already played a total of 212 minutes in 5 appearances donning the national team jersey and looks set for his big break at the club level.
Following in the footsteps of his father and signing for the Blaugrana club seems highly likely, which sounds like a win-win situation for all the parties involved even though his chance in a Barca shirt might come in a year or so with a loan move on the cards if the transfer does go through.
Stat Courtesy: Whoscored, Transfermarkt