Barcelona have been linked with Yusuf Demir, a 17 year-old left-footed forward who currently plays for Rapid Vienna and has acquired the moniker of “the Austrian Lionel Messi“.
Demir, born in Austria with Turkish roots, has been linked with Manchester United, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, but Marca report that Barcelona are the main candidate.
Barcelona are said to have tracked the youngster for a long time, and would like to move for him for a fee somewhere between six and eight million euros according to reports.
Dortmund are a strong rival, who have the selling point of a proven track record of developing young talent. Rapid are said to have decided to sell him this summer as his contract ends in 2022 and they don’t want to lose him on a free transfer.
Demir has worked his way up the Austrian national team system and is labelled as their great hope. Versatile, the teenager can play through the middle or on either wing, and is renowned for his close control as well as the accuracy of his shooting.
He’s nicknamed the Austrian Messi due to his left-footedness and his dribbling ability. His major flaw is his lack of work in recovering balls in the defensive phase. Demir has scored six goals and provided two assists in 24 appearances this season.
