Barcelona deal for 16-year-old wonderkid could rise to €25m –

Barcelona have had Portuguese wonderkid on their radar for more than a year, despite the fact that he is only 16 years old. Now playing his football in Croatia, Barcelona appear to be nearing an agreement to sign Varela.

That much was reported last week, when it was said that Dinamo Zagreb and Barcelona had agreed a deal for Varela that would cost €5m plus €5m in variables. It was also noted that Dinamo only own 59% of his rights. On Thursday, Varela’s representative, who also represents goalkeeper Joan Garcia, was seen meeting with President Joan Laporta at the Ciutat Esportiva offices. Said agent Andy Bara was then seen having lunch with Director of Football Deco, Director Enric Masip, and recruitment assistant Bojan Krkic.

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Cardoso Varela atop the agenda

It appears all of the terms have been agreed on a deal for Garcia, and Sport, via Sempre Barca, say that the main topic of discussion was Varela. Further details about the deal were revealed with a much higher fee than initially thought. The teenage starlet is set to remain at Dinamo for the coming year, before making the move, which will be worth €5m, but could rise as high as €25m depending commissions and variables.

The deal is at an advanced stage, and is expected to reach a conclusion within the next month, one way or another. Previous reports have noted that Varela could have an important role in the Dinamo side next season, despite only featuring for the under-19s thus far.

Barcelona have employed similar structure in previous deals

It is not the first time that Barcelona have structured a deal in a similar manner. Pedri arrived from Las Palmas as a 17-year-old for €5m, and he also had a further €20m in bonuses in the deal, and the same was the case for another talented playmaker Pablo Torre. The latter moved from Racing Santander, but is yet to establish himself for Barcelona.