Barcelona is gunning for the Borussia Dortmund and German youth international Vasco Walz ahead of the summer transfer window.
Borussia Dortmund’s teenage midfielder Vasco Walz has recently been a subject of speculation after La Liga giants FC Barcelona were reported to have shown interest in him, according to the Spanish news outlet Sport.
The 16-year-old midfielder started at the youth system of Karlsruher SC, before moving over to the youth setup of the Bundesliga giants, Borussia Dortmund, in 2019 at the age of 14 years. The teenager has shown rapid improvement in the past two years. Walz has managed to secure his place as a regular member of the squad, making 27 appearances under Dortmund while registering one goal and one assist. The club has also given him the responsibility of donning the captain’s armband.
As per Sport’s report, the teenager has displayed impressive abilities as a defensive midfielder, often successfully acting as the link between his team’s attacking and defensive halves while also dictating play from the back, thanks to his defensive instincts.
Walz chose to follow his dreams in the international arena with his German passport despite being of Italian descent. He has also been involved with the German youth teams.
The Black and Yellows are yet to open talks with the 16-year-old prodigy whose current contract runs out this summer. However, the German giants have made it clear that they recognise Walz’s potential. They have every intention of securing a long-term deal with the player.
Barcelona, have been following the career of this teenage midfielder with quite some interest. The Catalan giants are not far behind when it comes to nourishing and producing young talent.
Youth in the limelight again for the Blaugranas
Their crown jewel, the La Masia academy, famed for churning out the likes of Xavi, Messi and Iniesta, to name a few, has however seen a slight deviation from their original philosophy of relying on homegrown talent with the club focusing on star signings.
Of late, there have been several youth prospects who have managed to make their breakthrough into the first team. Their new manager for the current, Ronald Koeman has successfully integrated the likes of Ansu Fati, Oscar Mingueza, Ronald Araujo, Ilaix Moriba and Riqui Puig.
Barca suffered a disastrous campaign last season. The club missed out on the La Liga and Copa De Rey titles, before suffering their worst defeat in the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich. It will be fair to say that Barcelona is going through, what many would call, a “Transition Phase.”
And Koeman has so far handled it very well. With younger players now being called up to the first team more frequently, the Catalans are looking to further strengthen their youth ranks. Various new names and youth prospects have attracted interest from Barcelona. They include the likes of Uruguayan starlet Darwin Nunez, Nicolas Siri and now, Vasco Walz.
The 16-year-old is however a relatively new name that has appeared on the table. If the Blaugrana manage to secure his services, Walz would likely join Barcelona’s Juvenil A side before having any chance of moving up to the First Team. However, Barcelona has made no major move as of now to make this transfer possible.
We need to wait and see whether this teenage prodigy signs a new deal. Or whether he chooses to continue his ascent with the Bavarian side. He can also join the youth ranks of the Catalans but how many chances will he really get?
