Manchester United were reported last month to have an agreement to sign Barcelona youngster Marc Jurado.
Newspaper SPORT reported in May that United will sign the 16-year-old right-back from the La Liga champions.
The same paper had an opportunity to put that report to one of the men in charge of Barcelona’s youth teams, and he did not deny it.
In a wide ranging interview with Xavier Vilajoana, head of Barça B, he was asked directly, ‘Will Marc Jurado go to Manchester United?’
Vilajoana tried to sidestep a direct answer, but hinted Jurado is set to depart the club.
He said: “Eight (players) will go directly to youth A, the commitment to the youth team is serious, and we have renewed them by convincing them, without going crazy. But yes, he is one of the possible ones that will leave, you cannot reach them all.”
Youth drive
As we noted earlier this month, Jurado is a promising player who will add depth in an already strong position at United.
He is worth taking a chance on, even though there are no guarantees simply because he joins from Barcelona.
This does follow a more direct drive from United to add youth players from across Europe, which the club appeared to step up last summer.
Mateo Mejia was signed from Real Zaragoza, Dillon Hoogewerf from Ajax, and Hannibal Mejbri from Monaco, amongst others.
United mix this in with a number of local and English talents too, but the club’s scouts are clearly keeping busy and trying to leave no stone unturned.
The Jurado deal looks very likely at this point. While it isn’t one to get excited about due to his age, it is one to keep track of, to check it does go through, and then follow his progress as he bids to build a strong career at Old Trafford.
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