Barcelona-linked South American youngster signs for Brazilian club | OneFootball

Barcelona have constantly maintained an eye on the South American market in recent years, and the continent’s U-20 Championship held earlier this year, unsurprisingly caught the eye of the club’s scouts.

One of the players who shone and stood out by a margin was Neyser Villarreal, the 20-year-old centre-forward who was the top scorer in the event with eight goals to his name and also had four assists.

His tense relationship with his club – Millionarios de Bogota – opened the door for a potential exit and Barcelona were interested in the prospect of signing him. The move, however, did not come to fruition, especially given Barça Athletic’s poor end to the season.

The likes of Liverpool, Newcastle and Porto were also interested but did not manage to get the deal over the line as well, leaving the player with no apt destination in Europe.

Move deferred

As relayed by SPORT in a recent report, the young Colombian gem and his entourage have seemingly decided to delay his move to Europe for the foreseeable future, as the player has agreed on a move to Cruzeiro in the short term.

Indeed, the player has signed a pre-contract with the Brazilian club, as announced by them and will join them in December. He has signed for five seasons, and his contract with the club will run until December 2030.

There is no clarity on the inclusion or value of any buyout clause, and it remains to be seen if any provision has been made for the player to make the jump to Europe before his five-year journey at Cruzeiro ends. In all likelihood, however, there will be a provision.

For the foreseeable future, Neyser will thus continue in South America and progress his development eyeing a big money move in the future.

Whether Barcelona remain alert to his situation in the long run, needless to say, will depend on his performances for his new club.