Barcelona turn to 18-year-old Brazilian prospect to fulfil Hansi Flick’s request | OneFootball

With Marcos Alonso set to depart as a free agent this summer, FC Barcelona will need to find a new backup left-back for Alejandro Balde for next season.

As such, manager Hansi Flick is understood to have requested the signing of a new full-back in the summer, although there are no guarantees about how much Barça can spend on the position.

After all, at this time, the priorities for the Catalans are a defensive midfielder and a left-winger.

As such, the Blaugrana might look for cost-effective, young talents to sign, like they did with Mika Faye last year, to reinforce the left-back position.

Esquerdinha on the radars

Now, SPORT reports that Barcelona have set their sights on a move for Fluminense teenage left-back João Henrique Mendes, known as Esquerdinha.

The 18-year-old is a promising young talent coming through Fluminense and is currently a part of their Under-20 setup although he has already made a solitary first-team appearance for the Brazilian outfit.

Esquerdinha (C) on Barcelona’s radar. (Photo by Gaston Brito Miserocchi/Getty Images)

Esquerdinha has represented the Brazil national team at the Under-17 level, racking up nine appearances.

In Brazil, Esquerdinha is regarded as one of the best up-and-coming talents in his position – very technical, competitive mentality, fast, strong, and a specialist in direct free-kicks.

Barcelona scouts are understood to have been monitoring the 18-year-old for quite some time now. They are aware that he has a contract until 2026 with a release clause of €70 million and that there is a high possibility of him leaving Fluminense.

Apart from Barcelona, several Premier League clubs have also shown an interest in Esquerdinha, who is expected to make the jump to Europe soon.

If Barça do sign him, he would likely be registered with the reserve team, like Mika Faye, before eventually earning a quick promotion to the senior setup.