Barca increase offer for teenage midfielder but still lagging behind Frankfurt

The race to sign 17-year-old Swedish midfielder Lucas Bergvall looks set to be held between numerous competitors, but Barcelona will be happy just to be there as things stand. The Djurgardens metronome has previously seemed out of reach, but Barcelona have made a fresh bid for him.

Initially, when Barcelona’s interest in Bergvall emerged, it was reported that the Blaugrana were the preference of the player, and that an agreement had been reached with his agent. However the €15m price tag mentioned by Djurgardens sent Barcelona scurrying, with the likes of Udinese, Manchester United and Juventus noted as potential rivals.

Following reports that Bergvall’s price tag could be much lower though, Fotbolldirekt say (via Sport) that Barcelona have upped their offer frpom €5m to €6.5m, but they are still not close to the highest offer which is currently from Eintracht Frankfurt (€8.5m). Those are not the only clubs that are in discussions, and Djurgardens have not closed a deal with any side.

The Blaugrana will be keen not to miss out on Bergvall, having watched Claudio Echeverri and Gabriel Moscardo slip through their grasps. They were priced out of those deals, and it looks like there is a good chance that this happens again. Dealing with footballers at such a young age is a tricky business, given there is such a long way to go to the top of the game. It is somewhat surprising that Barcelona are looking to carry out the operation with a central midfielder, unless they feel he could be a mid-term Sergio Busquets replacement, given they already have a well-stocked midfield in terms of youngsters, and they have never struggled to produce players in that position themselves.