Liverpool and Manchester United are among the top European clubs who have reportedly been ‘invited’ to try and sign Barcelona star Gavi this summer.
Gavi has attracted the attention of several rival clubs after making a breakthrough into the Barca first team over the past year.
The 17-year-old midfielder has become a regular for Xavi, featuring 25 times across all competitions so far this season.
Barcelona are delighted with his progress and desperate to keep hold of him in the long-term, with Xavi describing him as the “future of this club” earlier this season.
However, the youngster’s contractual situation has potentially opened the door to a cut-price summer transfer away from the Spanish side.
Gavi is currently only under contract until June 2023, despite Barca’s repeated efforts to improve his current £1,600-a-week deal.
That has yet to come to fruition and the £42million (€50m) release clause in his contract has alerted the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich to his availability.
The Tuesday edition of Mundo Deportivo reports that Gavi’s brilliant form for Barca and the Spanish national team will ‘invite the big clubs to tempt him’.
Of the aforementioned sides, Liverpool have been the most strongly linked with Gavi, who has reportedly caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp.
The Reds would reportedly be willing to pay the midfielder £80,000 per week – a huge increase on his current earnings.
That will only happen if Gavi continues to reject a new contract with Barelona. According to reports from December, the Catalan giants want to give him a new deal until June 2026, which would include a signing fee of £1.7m.
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The information tallies with what Xavi said earlier in the season about the club’s young players.
“The way [Gavi] plays the game is spectacular and he has ambition and personality,” Xavi said back in December, via Marca .
“He is the future of this club. But not only him, also [Ronald] Araujo, [Alex] Balde, Nico [Gonzalez], [Ez] Abde. They are the future of the team and the club. They are a fantastic generation.
“They are the future of the team and the club. They are a fantastic generation. At that age I was scared, but they are wonderful.
“Gavi is a difference maker and I’m delighted to have him, but I don’t want to compare him to anyone. He has no ceiling.”
