Barcelona set sights on 18-year-old River Plate talent

After Manchester City made off with Claudio Echeverri, and Real Madrid secured the signing of Franco Mastantuono, Barcelona have set their sights on the latest starlet to emerge out of the academy at El Monumental. Mastantuono is the latest talented teenager to make the jump to Europe, following on from Echeverri and prior to that, Julian Alvarez.

According to TNT Sports Brasil, (via Diario AS) Barcelona hold an interest in River winger Ian Subiabre. The 18-year-old has already told River Plate that he will renew his deal with the club, with his current contract up in 2026, with a two-year extension planned for Subiabre.

Barcelona are expected to advance with discussions regarding a potential move though, with President Joan Laporta holding good relations with the player’s agent and former Argentina international Claudio Caniggia. His representatives have been in the Catalan capital on multiple occasions this year to talks about a deal, although it is expected to be a move that is delayed far into the future due to Barcelona’s financial situation. It could be that they wait until his deal is closer to expiring to open negotiations.

As tends to be the case for most of the top talents emerging out of Latin America, there are other sides interested in Subiabre. His talents have attracted the attention of Arsenal and Chelsea. Subiabre has a €30m release clause in his deal, but Barcelona are not expected to activate it.

Subiabre has garnered a reputation in Argentina, scoring three times in his six appearances for their under-20 side. He remains on the fringes of the River first team though, with 18 appearances under Marcelo Gallardo, but just two of those starts. This year he also managed his first goal against Rosario Central in March.