Barcelona Set To Complete Transfer Of Another 'New Messi'

Lionel Messi is running out of time to win another Champions League with Barcelona, who will meet Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals in Lisbon AFP / LLUIS GENE

Barcelona is on course to adding another Lionel Messi-like player into its squad.

On September 23, Barcelona B confirmed the signing of Turkish attacker Emre Demir from Kayserispor.

The said “agreement” revealed that Demir will be penning a €2 million ($2.3 million) deal that includes variables and a whopping €400 million ($462 million) release clause which will run until 2027.

As part of the deal, the 17-year-old will remain with Kayserispor until the end of the current season and will finally join Barcelona’s B squad “next summer,” 90min reported.

However, a new update from FC Barcelona Noticias states that Demir’s price tag has shot up and a move to Barcelona could speed up from next summer to January next year.

Kayserispor president Berne Gözbaşı, per the report, has explained in an interview that if Barcelona will be willing to pay “ another half million euros,” the club would not need to wait until the season ends and will have Demir moved to Camp Nou in the January window.

“It depends on the direction of the Boat. If it goes to Barcelona in January, [it’s] € 2.5 million ($2.8 million). If it goes in summer, the price is € 2.7 million ($3.1 million)," the article read.

Demir made his senior debut for Kayserispor in January 2019 and has gone on to become a remarkable player since then.

In fact, he even became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Turkish Super Lig.

To date, Demir already has three goals to his name and has played a total of 31 games for the Turkish side, starting on six league matches.

What’s even more interesting, the teenage prodigy has also drawn comparisons to former Barcelona superstar Messi as they share the same left-footed attacking attributes and can both play anywhere in the frontline.

Despite the comparisons, Demir is determined to make a name for himself.

“When I started football, I took [Lionel] Messi as an example,” Demir recently told Fotomac. “I was watching every game. However, I want to be Emre Demir. I'm still at the beginning of the road. I will work harder.”

“I want to show a better Emre Demir by working hard,” he continued. “I would like to meet Messi in Barcelona, but he left. Of course, there are world-famous stars in Barcelona.”

“My goal is to play in the [senior] team in Barcelona. I want to work hard and play for the Barcelona [senior] team.”