Barcelona are reportedly eyeing a swoop for 17-year-old Swedish prodigy Williot Swedberg who plays for Hammarby and is also wanted by Valencia.
According to a report from Spanish publication Fichajes, Barcelona are set to compete with La Liga rivals Valencia for the signing of teenage midfield wonderkid, Williot Swedberg, from Swedish outfit Hammarby IF.
Swedberg is a product of the Hammarby youth setup, having been on the club’s books since 2011, joining as a seven-year-old. The young central midfielder has made rapid strides through the youth ranks and was loaned out to IK Frej Taby between August and November last year where he managed 16 appearances.
Upon his return, Swedberg was then sent out on loan to Hammarby TFF from January to August this year where he again made a solid impression in his 11 appearances, scoring one goal. Back at his boyhood club Hammarby IF, the 17-year-old was a regular feature in the club’s UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers but was unable to help them through to the group stages.
To date, Swedberg has featured 16 times for the first-team at Hammarby IF, scoring and assisting two goals apiece. His raid development with the Stockholm-based outfit has seemingly alerted Barcelona who are now considering making a swoop for the 17-year-old midfield sensation.
?? 17-years-old midfielder Williot Swedberg is on Barça radar, but told the Swedish papers: “I wouldn’t say no to Barça, but my favorite team in Spain is Valencia”
— @ElDesmarque_VCF pic.twitter.com/xrqGXSe0u2
— Radio Taronja ?? (@RadioTaronjaENG) September 27, 2021
Of late, Barcelona have turned their focus back towards making their academy and reserve ranks strong again and have been recruiting robustly to bolster the teams, with the aim being to build stars from within the club even as the club continues to go through a financial turmoil.
This has seen Barcelona sign Austrian prodigy Yusuf Demir in the summer transfer window, with the teenager already making headway into the first-team. More recently, the Catalans also finalised a deal for 17-year-old Turkish hotshot Emre Demir before loaning him back to boyhood club Kayserispor for the rest of the season.
A move for UD Las Palmas’ 17-year-old prodigy Alberto Moleiro has also been mooted of late. Keeping in line with the same approach, Barcelona have identified Swedberg as a transfer target as well. However, the Catalan giants will have to stave off competition from fellow La Liga outfit Valencia, who are also keen on signing the Swedish wunderkind, with the player himself a fan of Los Che.
Contracted with Hammarby IF till the summer of 2024, it will be interesting to see if Swedberg decides to move onto bigger and better things or opts to stay at the club and continue his progress.
