Barcelona’s interest teenage prodigy draws response from Norwich City boss – ‘Want to keep our best talents’ | OneFootball

A new name has quietly started circulating inside the corridors of Barcelona, and it belongs to one of the most exciting teenage prospects currently developing in England. 

Over the past few days, growing attention has been placed on Ajay Tavares, a 15-year-old talent from Norwich City, whom Barça are very close to signing.

As previously reported, Barcelona’s interest is not casual. The club has been working seriously on a deal to secure the youngster, who is already part of Norwich City’s Under-18 setup despite his age. 

As such, Barcelona’s growing confidence in completing the signing has not gone unnoticed in England. 

Reaction from Norwich City

The situation prompted questions for Norwich City’s head coach, Philippe Clement, who was asked directly about the future of one of the club’s brightest academy prospects and the interest from Barça.

Clement offered context about Norwich’s approach to youth development, stressing the importance the club places on promoting academy talent to the senior level.

“Many young players are now training regularly with the first team. 

“Ajay is a very interesting one on that list, and I know he was also in pre-season with the first team and did very well. 

View this post on Instagram A post shared by AJAY TAVARES (@ajay_tavares)

“He is very young. He’s still very young, but we want to keep our best talents. 

“It’s one of the important things for the future and what we talk about with the owners.

“They want the players from our academy to grow and make it to the first team. So, of course, we want to keep Ajay,” said Clement.

Despite those public assurances, the reality on the pitch tells a slightly different story. 

So far this season, Clement has not handed Tavares his first-team debut, and the current sporting situation at Norwich does not strongly suggest that a breakthrough is imminent. 

That is where Barcelona see an opportunity. The Catalan club believe they can offer Tavares a structured environment focused on long-term growth, with La Masia providing a proven platform for elite development. 

While any immediate first-team involvement would be unrealistic, Barça’s project is centred on patience, education, and gradual progression.