Barcelona is eager to bring talented young winger Cardoso Varela into their youth setup and is reportedly nearing a transfer.

According to a report from Sport, Varela, a product of Porto’s renowned academy, has already earned 22 caps for Portugal’s U17 team, scoring three goals. If the transfer is finalized, he will likely join one of Barcelona’s youth teams, possibly the reserve squad, Barca Atletic.

Sport states that Deco, Barcelona’s sporting director, met with Varela and his agents on Monday afternoon. Following their discussion, Varela toured the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper facilities. The report suggests that Barcelona has been quietly pursuing Varela for some time, with strong connections between his agent, Andy Bara (who also represents Dani Olmo and Mikayil Faye), and the club facilitating negotiations.

Previously, the then 15-year-old winger played for Porto’s U17 and U19 teams in the UEFA Youth League before mysteriously disappearing from the Porto youth setup. The club suspected foul play from his agents and filed complaints with FIFA and the Croatian Football Federation when Varela resurfaced with Dinamo Odranski Obrez in Croatia’s fourth division, accompanied by agent Faustino Gomes and lawyer Wilson Sardinha. Reports from O Jogo indicated that they demanded €3 million from Porto to retain him, intending to wait until he turned 16 to sign a professional contract in October.

Meanwhile, after earning just five points from their last six La Liga matches, Hansi Flick’s team faces a challenging test against Atletico Madrid, who are tied on points with Barcelona but have a game in hand, at Montjuïc on Saturday, December 21.