Barcelona are famed for having one of the best youth academies in the world, and in recent years, they have relied on it more than ever because of their crippling financial problems. Gavi, Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal are just three of the players to have made the step up, although it looks to be that Andrea Natali won’t follow in the footsteps.

The 16-year-old central defender, who joined La Masia in 2021, is out of contract later this month, and according to Fabrizio Romano, he is close to signing for Bayer Leverkusen. The newly-crowned Bundesliga champions are prepared to pay €1m in compensation to ensure that a deal is completed smoothly.

CONFIRMED: Bayer Leverkusen are closing in on a deal to sign young Italian centre-back Andrea Natali from Barça. They’re prepared to pay €1m in compensation. @FabrizioRomano

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) June 8, 2024

Losing Natali, especially at the end of his contract, is a blow for Barcelona, although they can be reassured by the amount of talent they already have in the centre-back department. Alongside the likes of Pau Cubarsi and Mikayil Faye, who are already in first team reckoning, they have plenty of prospect in La Masia that can be looked to.

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