Barça youngster Joel Lopez tells the club he's moving to Arsenal
The teenage left-back has opted to pursue his career elsewhere
It's been an open secret around the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper for a while. Joel López, who plays for Barcelona's U16s, has turned down an offer to renew with the club and will move to Arsenal.
The left-back has comminicated his decision to the Catalan club, who tried until the very end to convince him to stay. A conversation even took place between a high-ranking member of staff at Barça and the player's people and the sensations were positive. However, he will not stay. He will move to Arsenal, who have offered him an attractive sporting project and the possibility to progress as a player.
As SPORT previously revealed, the English side have been chasing him for months. The appointment of Raúl Sanllehí increased their interest. Barça will only receive development rights for the player given he is out of contract.
Barça are trying to stop players leaving and have increased their offers to other players. However, in some cases they're pessimistic and they expect more La Masia departures. For example, Pablo Moreno has an agreement with Juventus.
