The U.S. youth international Konrad de la Fuente signed a contract extension with Barcelona just a couple of months ago, but that isn’t stopping other clubs from trying to lure him from Camp Nou.
According to influential Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are keen on de la Fuente and have approached Barca to inquire for the player. The Catalan club reportedly rejected these advances and isn’t willing to give up on the 19-year-old star unless they receive substantial compensation.
De la Fuente signed an extension with Barcelona in June, which keeps him under contract until 2020. The deal reportedly came with a $58 million release clause that will increase to $116 million if he makes a first-team debut for the club.
Konrad de la Fuente joined Barca’s youth ranks in 2013 and has made his way to the club’s B team in recent years. He made four appearances for Barcelona B since 2018 but is still waiting to make an appearance with the senior squad. The lack of the first-team opportunity even made de la Fuente consider an exit this summer, but the club managed to convince him to stay.
De la Fuente’s status might change under new head coach Ronald Koeman, who praised him in recent media appearances. Koeman also gave De la Fuente a chance to play in recent friendlies, the last one being the 3-1 win against Girona last week.
“If I had to highlight one of the youngsters, I would say Konrad, I am really happy with him,” said Koeman at the time.
