BARCELONA ARE SET TO SIGN GERMAN WONDERKID

Currently still under contract with the side from the Black Forest, both sides have been working on agreeing a price to finalise the deal. However, with the negotiations advanced, it appears that Freiburg will receive an upfront fee of €3m, including add-ons bringing the overall package up to €5m.

While this offers Freiburg a respectable return for a young player, sporting director Klemens Hartenbach explained to Kicker weeks ago that they would have hoped to keep Darvich at the club: “He’s in good hands with us. We try to accompany him, so encourage and challenge, but not burn that he can follow in the footsteps of the guys who just renewed their pro contracts.”

Nevertheless, unlike goalkeeper Noach Atubolu, who looks set to be the number one for Freiburg this season, head coach Christian Streich had previously explained in pre-season that Darvich was still far away from entering the first team:

“It’s a long way until we hopefully see him here in the stadium at some point,” commented Streich before explaining how Darvich would have to require “time and patience” if the 16-year-old were to break into the side.

However, his talent is already clear to see after leading Germany to under-17 European Championship glory earlier this summer as captain, where he scored two goals and collected four assists. It is unclear whether Barcelona will look to integrate Darvich into the senior team straight away, but further development in the famous ‘La Masia’ academy will certainly only benefit Germany’s wunderkind.