Manchester City and Barcelona are among the clubs in the picture to sign Dinamo Zagreb youngster Cardoso Varela.
That’s according to 24 Sata, who report Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have joined Barcelona in the race for the 16-year-old.
The forward was club-less for months after leaving FC Porto in summer 2024 and had to wait until February to join the Croatian club. Despite his young age, Varela has already been promoted to Dinamo Zagreb’s first team this season and played 158 minutes from four games.
The Portugal U17 international is represented by Andy Bara, who also represents Barca’s Dani Olmo and highly rated 18-year-old Lovro Chelfi.
Earlier this week, Mundo Deportivo reported the agent met Barca sporting director Deco, mainly to find about the day-to-day life of his clients. The Catalan newspaper also stated the Blaugrana have ‘already agreed’ a €5m plus €20m bonuses deal for Varela.
They made no mention of Manchester City or any other club. 24 Sata relay Mundo’s claim and then provide their own update, reporting the Premier League side, Bayern Munich and PSG are all following the young attacker.
With regards to the €5m plus €20m bonuses, the Croatian newspaper say the ‘clause still exists and they [Barcelona] can activate it, but the player must also agree to their terms’. This should encourage the Citizens and others.
They add Dinamo Zagreb’s plan is to retain the Portuguese youngster for the next two years before letting him move to another European club.
Manchester City can reach an agreement with Dinamo Zagreb for Varela to arrive at the Etihad after he turns 18 years of age [can’t arrive at the UK until then] in October 2026.
Pep Guardiola’s side have work to do if they wish to get ahead of Barcelona and others to secure the young talent.
