Barcelona lock in on talented Brazilian midfielder

Barcelona have reportedly signed 21-year-old Matheus Fernandes from Palmeiras. The Brazilian midfielder could be one to roam the Barcelona midfield for years to come.

Barca went to Brazil and may have come back with another star from the Brazilian Serie A. According to Mundo Deportivo  21-year-old Matheus Fernandes is reportedly on his way to the Camp Nou after his club, Palmeiras, agreed to a transfer fee that could be worth 11 million euros.

Matheus Fernandes is following a similar path as Neymar as Fernandes is another player who has shown star talent and groomed it in Brazil before heading to Barca. Fernandes is the natural replacement for Sergio Busquets who will turn 32 in July of this year. Palmeiras will receive a flat seven million euros up front and could earn an additional four based on certain add-ons.

Fernandes is known for his brilliant footwork, dazzling passes and a unique play making ability. The Brazilian spent his youth career with Botafogo and made his senior debut with the team in 2017 against Nova Iguacu. Fernandes has a career rating of 6.90, according to whoscored.com, with an average pass success rate of 82.2 on 29.6 passes per game. The numbers may not stand out as a typical Barcelona midfielder, but this kid has all of the makings to be groomed into one of the best players in Europe.

Barcelona’s midfield is getting up there in age as they currently have five first team players on the roster. Arturo Vidal (32), Ivan Rakitic (31) and Sergio Busquets (31) are all 30+ years old, so Fernandes could slot in for wither Busquets or Rakitic and play along side Arthur (23) and Frenkie de Jong (22) for years to come.

What do you think of this Barcelona signing? Do you see Fernandes eventually replacing Sergio Busquets in the Barcelona midfield?