Barcelona may have blown their chance to sign Brazilian youngster Gui Ruck, with it felt he’s more likely to end up at Crystal Palace or Nottingham Forest.
That’s according to Mundo Deportivo, who say there is a growing chance that the Real Valladolid youngster will end up at a Premier League team.
The newspaper explains that the 14-year-old has been earning plenty of attention despite his age and he already has a number of proposals on the table.
Barcelona had tried to convince him to move to La Masia but didn’t present an offer and the belief is they’ve now missed their chance.
Instead, the youngster and his family recently travelled to England, and it is assumed he will end up accepting one of the proposals coming from there.
Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest are the sides to have shown an express interest in him and are now ‘fighting for his services’.
The issue is that he is only 14 years old and wouldn’t be able to move to England until he’s 18 anyway thanks to the laws post Brexit.
Perhaps the idea is for either of the sides to sign him now and then send him to one of the other clubs currently owned by their owners.
Crystal Palace, for example, could send him to Lyon, who are also owner by John Textor, while Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis also owns Olympiacos and Rio Ave in Greece and Portugal respectively.
The idea in that would of course be that Crystal Palace or Nottingham Forest sign him now, leave him in one of their own clubs so they can develop him how they wish and then move him when he’s 18.
Whether that’s possible is another matter entirely but it seems those two are now out in front and Barcelona have missed their chance either way.