Barcelona are hoping to poach for the 19-year-old Portuguese talent after losing out on Lucas Bergvall
Barcelona will continue in their efforts to bring in the most talented teenagers they can find, and are already thinking about a potential summer move after losing 17-year-old Swedish midfielder Lucas Bergvall to Tottenham Hotspur. His last goal is 19 years Benfica striker José Melro.
Able to play anywhere in the final third, Melro has 13 goals in 16 games for Benfica's under-23 team. That's the highest average in the competition, and a number of those games have also seen him come off the bench. Style, is naturally compared to Joao Felix, as a technical player able to find spaces behind the attackers.
🚨 In the dressing room they are amazed by the class of Lamine Yamal, but especially with his involvement and intelligence. Eri took another step forward, not only in attack, but also in defense. @jaumemarcet ✨ pic.twitter.com/Jpx1v5ibkX
— Barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 4, 2024
Brand say Barcelona feel they can force Benfica's hand, as Melro is out of contract in just under 18 months, and are in a good position to sign Melro. It is part of their strategy to compete with Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City for the best teenage talent around the globe, but Melro is seen as far more accessible than Bergvall or the likes of Claudio Echeverri. The Blaugrana's intention is to move for these players before they make a name for themselves in the first team.
It is somewhat surprising that Benfica still have him in their B team if he is worth pursuing, as seems to be the case from the Catalan's point of view. While Bergvall and Echeverri have been out of Barcelona's financial reach, they have signed Mikayil Faye, Noah Darvich and Ibrahim Diarra in the last 12 months, which is a clear demonstration of their desire to expand their youth operations. .
