The Catalan media likely have sleepless nights about La Masia.
Waking up screaming from a nightmare which sees a big English monster come and snatch all the young football talents, leaving a desolate waste-ground to build Barcelona’s future on.
It’s been happening for years, back to Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique, who both ended up back at the club, to a steady stream of players from current youth generations being lured away.
Manchester City has probably been the club causing most worry in recent years, and at first the Catalan media approached it with a very positive tone. These kids weren’t just going for money, it was explained, but they were wowed by City’s detailed plans for them, and Barca just had to do a lot better.
That slant has been changing and the Premier League club’s youth team crashing out of the UEFA Youth League this week has been covered, with hints all isn’t going for well for those who have left, along with growing annoyance at Pep Guardiola’s side trying to snatch Ilaix Moriba.
Sport say the 15 year old is the ‘player with most projection’ in La Masia right now, and his situation is ‘most worrying’.
He turns 16 in January, and Barcelona have already prepared their offer, but Manchester City are ‘on the prowl’.
