Barcelona are reportedly set to sign 19-year-old Brazilian centre-back Vitao, with the club and Palmeiras finalising the details of the transfer.
According to Spanish publication Marca, Barcelona are closing in on the signing of another highly-rated Brazilian teenager. 19-year-old defender Vitao is set to join the Catalan giants, with the club finalising the details of the transfer with his parent club Palmeiras.
An alternate report from Goal says that the player is not alone, with Barcelona pushing through a double deal for Vitao and Candido from Palmeiras in a transfer that will reportedly cost them a combined €20 million. It also adds that Vitao is already in Barcelona to complete the formalities, which appears to be the only thing left for him to become a Barcelona player.
Barcelona have a rich history of acquiring young prodigious talents from Latin America, with Lionel Messi the shining example of the same. Of late, the Catalans have increased their scouting in the Brazilian region and have moved quickly to secure talents, with other clubs also scouring the same gems.
In January, Barcelona completed a deal to sign Emerson from Atletico Mineiro. The player is currently on loan at Real Betis till the end of the season and is tipped to be vying for a place in the first-team from the upcoming campaign.
❗️? | FC Barcelona are finalising the signing of Palmeiras centre back Vitão (19). The Brazilian will either join FC Barcelona B or leave on loan.
[MARCA] pic.twitter.com/odTBEvOM0j
— Culé Source (@CuleSource) February 18, 2019
Barcelona seem to be adopting a fresh approach by not going for big-name signings to cure their defensive problems. Instead, they are slowly moving in pieces that could be a part of the long-term project and be phased in as they get comfortable with their surroundings.
Andre Curry is reportedly the man behind the deal. The Barcelona scout seems to have used his connections with Palmeiras Sporting director Alexandre Mattos to push through the deal for Vitao.
Barcelona are looking to get things wrapped up quickly as far as the Vitao deal is concerned and already have representatives in Brazil trying to complete the formalities. Palmeiras officials on the other hand, are already in Spain, to do the same.
If this deal goes through, Vitao will join Barcelona B and compete for spots or be loaned out like Emerson, with the first-team setup stacked for now, especially after Barcelona agreed to sign Jean Claire Todibo in January itself.
