Barcelona set to lose 16-year-old defensive prospect to Bayer Leverkusen – report

Over the past couple of years under Xavi Hernandez, a number of youngsters coming through the FC Barcelona youth academy got opportunities at the first-team level.

The likes of Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Fermin Lopez, Alejandro Balde, and Gavi have already become household names despite being very young.

More and more young talents continue to knock on the first-team doors, with new manager Hansi Flick already identifying talents like Marc Bernal and Marc Casado.

Barcelona to lose Andrea Natali

However, according to Gianluca Di Marzio, Barcelona are set to lose one of their young defensive prospects this summer as Andrea Natali is on his way to joining Bayer Leverkusen.

Natali, 16, is the son of former Atalanta defender Cesare Natali and has been at La Masia since 2021, having arrived from the RCD Espanyol academy, whom he joined from AC Milan.

Andrea Natali (L) set to leave Barcelona. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

The 16-year-old is a centre-back who has been part of Barcelona’s Juvenil B setup (Under-18), having been promoted from the Under-16 squad last year. He is also capable of playing as a No. 6.

Natali was also a key part of the Italian Under-17 national team that won the Under-17 European Championship earlier this year.

However, his time at Barcelona is coming to an end as his contract stands to expire at the end of this month.

And, as per the report, Natali is now on his way to Germany, where he will sign for Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/barcelona-set-to-lose-16-year-old-defensive-prospect-to-bayer-leverkusen-report/

Author : Michel Durant

Publish date : 2024-06-07 14:13:52

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