New Barcelona signing Pedri will do preseason with the first team
The Spain youth international is set to join the club in the summer
Pedro González López, know in football circles as Pedri, signed for Barcelona last September in exchange for five million euros.
Just 16 at the time, he's now 17, and is playing regularly this season for Las Palmas in the Spanish second division before joining up with Barça, coronavirus pending, in the summer.
Despite his years, he's already playing a level above Barça B and his contract with the Catalan club states that he will only play in the first or second division. If Barça B don't get promoted, he can only play for the first team. And that's the idea at the moment.
Pedri will join Barça at the end of July, when Quique Setien's side are scheduled to start preseason. The attacking midfielder will do preseason with the first team and could spend all season with them -- or he could be loaned to another team in Spain's top two divisions.
The reports Setien has are positive but he wants to see him close up before taking a decision. He wants to see how he competes with the first team players but also with the B team players that train with the first team. There's competition in that sense from Collado, Monchi and Riqui Puig.
Right now, midfield at Camp Nou is crowded. But there could be exits this summer. Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic, for example, are among players that could leave.
Barça have still not decided what preseason will entail. The USA was an option but coronavirus has put everything on hold. The only thing for certain is that whenever and wherever it is, Pedri will be involved.
