Barcelona expected to lose 20-year-old La Masia midfield prodigy valued at €3 million | OneFootball

Last night was a special occasion for a certain Alvaro Cortes as he made his first-team debut for FC Barcelona, starting against Deportivo Alaves.

The 21-year-old defender, who captained the reserve team, Barça Atletic, this season, had been knocking on the first-team doors for some time now, and finally got his chance.

Like Cortes, there are many other players in the reserve team waiting for their chance with the senior setup, but could move on in the summer in search of regular first-team football.

One such talent happens to be 20-year-old midfield prospect Brian Farinas.

Brian Farinas likely to leave

Indeed, according to SPORT, Farinas is attracting significant interest on the market and already has several offers on the table. And, Barcelona’s sporting department would be open to a transfer.

As per the report, the club value the La Masia product at around €3 million.

Farinas began his career at hometown club CD Benicarlo before moving to Villarreal’s academy, where he impressed during the 2018 edition of La Liga Promises.

Barcelona quickly moved for him and brought him into the Infantil A side, despite him being a year younger than many of his teammates. In 2022, he renewed his contract with Barça until 2025, before signing another extension last summer that tied him to the club until 2028.

Having risen through the ranks, the 20-year-old starlet has become virtually untouchable for Barça Atletic this term, even being named one of the captains under Juliano Belletti.

Farinas initially played as an interior midfielder before gradually adapting into a deep-lying pivot, standing out for his vision, positional awareness and understanding of Barça’s style of football.

Despite his strong performances, breaking into the first team has become extremely difficult. Farinas has trained occasionally under Hansi Flick, but he has not been given the opportunity to make the jump.

And with Barça Atletic missing out on promotion, staying in Segunda RFEF at the age of 20 is increasingly seen as too limited for Farinas’ development. As such, a summer departure is very likely.