Liverpool & Arsenal fighting it out for Barça's Joel Lopez

Those close to Barcelona's academy predict another busy summer. After Sergio Gomez's surprising move to Borussia Dortmund in January, there are various players that could follow a similar path this summer. One of those players is Joel Lopez. The Cadeta A left-back (U16s) has not signed a renewal and there is interest from the Premier League, with Arsenal and Liverpool both in the mix. 

There is still nothing closed but Barça are not optimistic about the situation. We're talking about a player that has spent his entire career at the club. He joined the Benjamín B (U8s) side from Vila Olímpica and has progressed through the ranks ever since. On the pitch, he's a very mature player and his fitness allows him to get up and down the left flank for 90 minutes. His link up with Robert Navarro, Alex Rico y Nico González is one of the side's big weapons. 

OFFER FROM THE CLUB 

Since Gomez left, Barça have got to work on preventing similar situations. Various representatives have been phoning the parents of the players whose contracts are close to expiring to inform them of the offer. Some of them are already signed but that's not the case with Joel. In the coming weeks there will be meeting, but everything suggests he will be in England next season. Barça will try to keep him but won't go crazy because they consider the left-back position well covered by Marc Cucurella and Juan Miranda in the age groups above Joel.