Barcelona are on the verge of losing yet another youth prodigy in Anwar Mediero, who is tipped to join Atalanta this summer.
According to Fabrizio Romano, as relayed by Gianluca Di Marzio, Atalanta will secure the services of Anwar Mediero. The FC Barcelona youngster will depart Camp Nou finally, having been involved in a disagreement two years ago, regarding a failed move to Celta Vigo.
A right-winger by trade, Mediero currently is a part of Barcelona’s U-18 squad but is yet to receive any promotion to the club’s B side. Little does it matter, however, with Atalanta willing to make him a part of their senior side after finalising the deal, which is yet to be confirmed.
Mediero isn’t the only player to leave La Masia in favour of first-team football in recent years, with the likes of Sergio Gomez and Eric Garcia being prime examples. Even Marc Jurado, the current right-back of the club’s U-16 side, is set to join Manchester United this summer.
These departures are clear indicators of the decline of Barcelona’s youth project as the club ebbs away from its tradition and instead, relies on the market.
While the current situation surrounding Lionel Messi is indeed interesting, knowing that his departure could actually require Ronald Koeman build things from scratch, the Catalans still need to reshape their youth development.
For Atalanta, however, Mediero seems like a long-term investment rather than a hopeful first-team signing. They are already infamous for their loan program, having already sent out four players on loan so far this summer.
Having said that, the Italian giants, who were knocked out by PSG in the quarter-final in the recently concluded UEFA Champions League, do lack a bit of depth in the wider attacking areas. And while Gian Piero Gasperini’s side do primarily rely on wing-backs to provide the offensive width, having someone like Mediero could be useful for the Italian mastermind.
The 18-year-old has already shown a lot of promise with his performances in the Spanish youth competitions and his dynamic nature could be an excellent fit for Atalanta’s style of play.
