FC Barcelona is keeping a close eye on Dinamo Zagreb forward Cardoso Varela. The 16-year-old winger will turn 17 on October 29, and his release clause remains at 5 million euros, although the latest reports indicate that the Portuguese player's price could reach 20 'kilos' including variables.
Deco has been very attentive to the progress of the Luanda native for more than a year, taking advantage of his good relationship with the youth player's agent, Andy Bara, who also represents Dani Olmo.
Varela arrived at Dinamo Zagreb this year after his strange departure from Porto last year and already visited the Ciutat Esportiva in Sant Joan Despí before signing with the Croatian team until 2028. For now, his market value is 300,000 euros and Barça would have to wait until November 2026 to sign him, once he reaches the age of majority.
Marcus Rashford Could Block Cardoso Varela's Arrival to Barcelona
However, this is not the only factor conditioning Cardoso Varela's possible signing by Barça. The Azulgrana team, while having sought to close the signing of a left winger for months, will wait until 2026 to make a final decision on both the Portuguese player and Marcus Rashford.
The Englishman was chosen to reinforce this demarcation in the 25/26 season, after Nico Williams' second 'no' to the club and the signing of Luis Díaz by Bayern Munich. The possibility of signing him on loan, without a mandatory purchase option, facilitated the 27-year-old striker's departure from Manchester United, but the 'Red Devils' are confident they can cash in on his transfer next summer.
The Rashford loan includes a purchase option for 40 million euros that Barça may execute, at the latest, in June 2026. For the moment, the '14' is earning merits for the 'culés' to consider buying him.
Marcus has 3 goals and 5 assists in his first 10 matches with Hansi Flick's team and has managed to earn the trust of the German coach, after carrying the weight of the Barça attack during the absence, due to injury, of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
In that sense, if Barça decides to buy Rashford, the board would close the door to the arrival of Cardoso Varela. The youth player, in that case, would have very few options to add quality minutes with the first team, with the Englishman and Raphinha themselves being the owners of this demarcation.
The Premier League Could Also Welcome Cardoso Varela
If the 'pearl' of Dinamo Zagreb were to finally leave Barça's radar, he would have no shortage of offers to make the leap to the European elite in 26/27. One of the teams interested in signing him is Chelsea, a club specializing in buying young players for amounts much higher than usual.
The 'blue' team recently closed the signing of Estevao Willian for a fixed 37 million plus another 30 in variables, so they would have no objection to paying the 5 'kilos' net that Dinamo is asking for the Portuguese player. In any case, the winger will wait for a call from Barça, aware of Deco's interest in his future.
- 👉Don't miss the latest rumors from the FC Barcelona and LaLiga market in our TRANSFERS section.