FC Barcelona have set their sights on Feyenoord Rotterdam’s young Dutch right-back Rick Karsdorp, should they miss out on Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin in the summer.
Spanish Publication Mundo Deportivo claim that the Catalan giants have been scouting him for months now, after discovering him during one of their trips to the Netherlands to watch Ajax and have reportedly been tracking his progress over a period of time.
The 22-year-old Dutch International, who is also a target for Premier League giants Manchester United and Arsenal has now emerged as the Catalan giants’ first choice target for that coveted right-back position, should they once again fail to sign Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin in the summer.
Feyenoord are currently managed by none other than former Barcelona player and Dutch Captain, Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The 42-year-old has reportedly spoken highly of Karsdorp to those representatives of the Blaugrana, when they came to watch him in action.
Bronckhorst’s relationship with Barcelona gives them a slight edge over Karsdorp’s other suitors, as he would be able to put in a good word for the Catalan giants with the youngster.
While Bronckhorst doesn’t want to lose out on such an important member of the squad, it is reported that he would rather see his prodigy leave for Barcelona, rather than the Premier League.
Karsdorp made his debut for the De club van het volk in 2014, and the following season, he would break into and hold down a place in the starting XI, making 36 appearances across all all competitions and getting a superb 10 assists.
He has featured in each and every single one of Feyenoord’s games this season and has been an integral part of their title charge this season. In 35 games this season, he has been scored 1 goal and provided 6 assists, only getting booked twice in the process.
Karsdorp, now a full fledged Dutch international, has started all of Feyenoord’s Eredivise games this season. They are currently running away with the League title and have already accumulated a 5 point lead at the top of the table, with 10 games to go.
Karsdorp’s rise from the Feyenoord’s youth ranks to their first has been rapid and meteoric. Standing at 5 feet 9 inches, the Dutchman may not be the tallest defenders around, but he makes up for it with his pace, dribbling skills technical ability and ability to take players on one-on-one.
He has an offensive style of play and is also quite versatile, having played as a right-midfielder, attacking, centre and defensive midfielder as well. These characteristics will only make him all the more valuable for Barcelona, who are desperately looking to sign a top quality talent to fill in the void left by Dani Alves.
