Barcelona midfielder Gavi could leave the Catalan club on a free transfer this summer - and the teenager has already shown Manchester United why they should be interested.
The 18-year-old played the full 90 minutes against Erik ten Hag's team during the first leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off at Camp Nou as the hosts initially led before coming from behind to draw 2-2.
A booking picked up for a cynical foul minutes before former Leeds United forward Raphina equalised denied Gavi a trip to Old Trafford for the return fixture. That was his first taste of football against English opposition
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How highly rated is Gavi?
Barcelona head coach Xavi admitted the player was a massive miss during the second leg against United alongside fellow young midfield Pedri, who was unavailable due to injury. "They are players that decide games," he said, "so we really missed them. If they'd had played today, I don't think we'd have had as many issues."
Former Spanish national team head coach Luis Enrique has waxed lyrical about the player who he handed a senior international debut at 17 years old, making Gavi the youngest Spanish international. After starring at the World Cup debut, Enrique made clear how highly he rated the midfielder.
"The most surprising thing for everyone is that someone, at 18 years and 100 days old, has that amount of self-confidence," he said. "You have to look at the intelligence he has in his positioning, how he dominates the technical aspects of football, and his physical capacity despite being 18. We have to stay calm, he's 18, but he can define an era."
What kind of player is he?
The teenager primarily plays as a central midfielder in Barcelona and Spain's midfield three. This season, his club head coach Xavi has also fielded Gavi in more advanced positions as part of a front three, as was the case against United.
Despite being thrust further forward on occasion, he is not necessarily goal threat. Gavi has just seven goals in approaching 100 senior appearances for club and country.
At 18, the midfielder is more of a creative force. After assisting six goals for teammates last term, Gavi has almost already replicated that feat with five this season. In that sense, the obvious comparison is the fellow La Masia graduate Andres Iniesta. A pass-first player that is positionally versatile and can play out wide and centrally.
Why could Gavi leave for free?
It is all because of a long-running legal dispute about a new contract agreed in September. When signing that extension, Barca registered Gavi as an academy player - but a clause in the deal stated the midfielder was free to leave should his status not be upgraded to that of a first-team player by June 30, 2023.
Barcelona tried to do just that late during the January transfer window, their only available period to do so, but La Liga insisted it would not be possible due to the Catalan club being in breach of their salary limit rules. Instead, Barca took matters into their own hands and turned to the courts in an attempt to force the Spanish league's hand.
The club were initially successful in registering the player. Now, a court has reportedly ruled against them, according to The Athletic, due to the late submission of documents. Therefore, the temporary injunction will be removed, meaning Gavi is registered as an academy player again.
Who's interested?
Manchester City were linked with the player just last week, with the club allegedly monitoring the increasingly messy situation. Pep Guardiola's side are said to have been alerted due to recent developments.
Liverpool are another Premier League club linked with the midfielder. Both also have a shared interest in Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund.
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