On Thursday morning, ESPN reported that the Blaugrana had held conversations with Las Palmas about signing Alberto Moleiro, who has been compared to Barca’s Golden Boy and full-fledged Spain international, Pedri, due to their shared boyhood club.
Cash-strapped Barca have enquired about the cost of a transfer for the 18-year-old from the Tenerife club, and hope to complete the transaction this summer while leaving Moleiro on loan with Las Palmas until 2023, when he will switch allegiances.
An deal of this sort would mirror Pedri’s meteoric rise to popularity, which began in the summer of 2019 when Barca paid a bargain fee of €5 million ($5.35 million) for the then-16-year-old before he formally moved to Catalonia a year later in 2020.
In a spectacular maiden season that saw him won Europe’s Golden Boy, Pedri quickly established himself as a first team regular and one of Europe’s most promising young prospects after being tested in preseason by the manager at the time, Ronald Koeman.
Pedri signed a new contract until 2026 with a record-breaking €1 billion ($1.16 billion) release clause a month before winning the prestigious award in November 2021.
He has also established himself as a key member of Luis Enrique’s national team, wearing the number ’10’ jersey.
The amount of money that Barca would have to pay for Moleiro is unknown at this time.
However, as a first-team regular in a Las Palmas side that just missed out on promotion back to La Liga, he may cost more than Pedri did initially.
Moleiro is defined as an attacking midfielder who “has also played wide at times” by ESPN, and many are eager to point out that his profile and playing style are vastly different from Pedri’s.
However, if Barcelona signs him, it will be their second signing of a potential Spanish midfielder in 2022.
Pablo Torre, who was acquired from Racing Santander earlier this year, is on his way to Barca’s B team, where he, like Pedri, will try to impress Koeman’s successor Xavi Hernandez and force his way into the main squad when preseason begins on July 4.
