Barcelona are ahead of Real Madrid and Liverpool in the race to sign €30 million midfielder.
Alberto Moleiro, a Las Palmas prospect who is attracting interest from teams like Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Borussia Dortmund, is reportedly a target for Barcelona, who are considering stepping up their efforts to sign him.
One of Spain’s top young attacking midfielders, Moleiro, 19, was backed this past summer to travel the Pedri route from Las Palmas to Barcelona.
Due to the Catalans’ financial constraints, they were unable to meet the Spanish second-division club’s demands of €10 million in fixed costs and €15 million in variable costs, which resulted in the deal falling through.
Barcelona, though, have maintained their interest in Moleiro and are now considering making a swoop for him in the January window as Gerard Pique’s retirement will help clear up salary mass while they have funds left over from the summer after the activation of levers.
The idea would be to sign Moleiro in the winter and loan him back to Las Palmas for the remainder of the campaign to continue his progress.
It would be a strategic move from the Blaugrana as Moleiro currently has a release clause worth €30 million in his contract with Las Palmas, which will double up to €60 million if they earn promotion to La Liga, which could be on the cards.
Arc-rival Real Madrid, who also tried to sign the 19-year-old in the summer but were unable to reach an agreement with the player, will be a challenge for Barça. The Merengues are still monitoring Moleiro and are open to resuming their pursuit of him.
In addition to Real Madrid, Liverpool is rumored to have joined the race to sign Moleiro. The Premier League’s biggest clubs may view the Las Palmas star as another wise acquisition with an eye toward the future after recently investing in promising young players like Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay.
Barcelona appears prepared to move forward with their plans for Moleiro more quickly in light of the increased interest in him and the potential for a doubled release clause.
But it remains to be seen if they can finalize the deal for the teenager given that there are other priorities for the winter.
