Spanish club president confirms interest in acquiring exit-bound Barcelona youngster | OneFootball

Having bid goodbye to Pedro ‘Dro’ Fernandez this week, FC Barcelona are poised to lose another prized academy talent soon, as Andres Cuenca is set to depart.

The 18-year-old centre-back, whose contract expires at the end of the ongoing season, is believed to be in talks with Serie A outfit Como 1907, managed by Cesc Fabregas.

Meanwhile, Spanish outfit Sporting Gijon have also shown an interest in signing Cuenca – something that their executive president Jose Riestra has now confirmed, via Mundo Deportivo.

Indeed, the executive acknowledged that the young Barcelona centre-back, who is currently in negotiations with Como, “is on the radar”, although he avoided focusing on specific names and instead stressed the need for “a defensive signing”.

Andres Cuenca on his way out. (Photo by Vasile Mihai-Antonio/Getty Images for DFB)

“We want the signing to happen as soon as possible and we are analysing the best way for all parties involved, both the three clubs involved and the player himself,” he added.

As things stand, the likeliest outcome is that Cuenca will sign for Como, with Barcelona unlikely to get a fee but retain a future sell-on percentage.

The Italian outfit, though, intend to loan him out for the second half of the season so as to help continue his development.

And, Sporting Gijon could then make a move to bring Cuenca back to Spain until the end of the campaign on a short-term loan deal.

Either way, the youngster’s future lies away from Barcelona and it remains to be seen where he ends up in the coming days.