Barcelona scouts attend Benfica-Arouca match to monitor Andreas Schjelderup | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have been very active in the transfer market in recent seasons when it comes to signing talented youngsters from across Europe and beyond. It looks like the club is keen on targeting cheap and early, to potentially find the next €100m+ player.

The latest name linked with the club is Benfica winger Andreas Schjelderup. According to O Jogo (via Mundo Deportivo), Barcelona scouts recently attended Benfica’s match against Arouca to monitor Schjelderup in action, who is currently making a strong impression in Lisbon.

Schjelderup first joined Benfica in January 2023 from Nordsjælland in the Danish Superliga, and he has quickly established himself under Jose Mourinho following a loan spell. This season, he has recorded 7 goals and 4 assists across 35 appearances, accumulating 1937 minutes.

Andreas Schjelderup has already been on the club’s radar before. The youngster is viewed as one of the most exciting young wide players in Portuguese football, and his profile naturally makes him an attractive option for a club like Barcelona.

He is young, technically gifted, and capable of operating in attacking areas where the Blaugranes are always looking to strengthen for the future. From Barcelona’s perspective, this appears to be more of a monitoring operation than an advanced move at this stage.

Scouting is usually just the first step towards identifying a potential talent. Whether this translates into a formal approach depends on a number of financial and sporting factors.

For now, Benfica’s Norwegian winger is simply another young talent being watched closely by Barcelona. But if his development continues on the same path, it would not be a surprise if this story grows into something bigger in the months ahead.