Prem clubs keen on Barcelona teenager Cubarsí – sources،
17-year-old Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí is being targeted by a handful of Premier League clubs with his release clause set at around 10 million euros ($10.7 million), sources have told ESPN.
Cubarsí only signed his first professional contract with Barça last year, but his emergence into the first team has accelerated the club's need to agree a new deal with the teenager.
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Barca were already negotiating an upgrade with the centre-back's camp, but sources say his performances with the first team have 'changed the starting point' when it comes to reaching agreement on a new long-term deal term.
Sources close to the coaching staff detail the maturity and courage with which Cubarsí has played since making his debut as a 16-year-old in the Copa del Rey against Unionistas de Salamanca in January.
Cubarsí has since made six appearances under coach Xavi Hernández, including La Liga wins over Real Betis, Osasuna and Alavés.
We were joking about him the other day because at only 17 he already seems like a veteran,” Xavi said after last weekend's 3-1 win over Alavés.
“He already plays like a player much older than his age. He is aggressive, he doesn't lose the ball and he is very good at getting the ball out from the back.”
These qualities led to the urgency to renew Cubarsí's contract as a circle of some of England's biggest clubs, with his clause set at a relatively affordable €10 million.
Cubarsí joined Barça in 2018 at the age of 11 after spending four years at Girona. He has since progressed through the Catalan club's La Masia academy before making his debut for Barça Atlétic earlier this season when he began training regularly with the first team.
Xavi gave him his first team debut on January 19. He has since made six appearances, impressing at the heart of defense alongside Uruguay international Ronald Araújo.
“He is very well prepared,” Xavi said of Cubarsí after his La Liga debut against Betis in January, just days before his 17th birthday.
“He doesn't look like he's 16 when you talk to him. He's a focused and responsible kid. I don't think he's lost a single ball either.
“He will mark an era, like Lamine [Yamal] .We continue to build a team made up of young footballers. These are players with whom we must build the future of the club.”
Cubarsí is one of several youngsters to break through under Xavi, with Yamal (16), Hector Fort (17) and Marc Guiu (18) among the others who have made an impact this season.
Fort, who can play in all back four but is primarily a full-back, is close to being signed by Jorge Mendes' agency, sources have told ESPN.
