Barcelona transfer news: La Liga giants to rival Premier League clubs for Scottish wonderkid Billy Gilmour – who they hope could be the next Xavi or Iniesta
Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City have watched Rangers midfielder... but Barca have jumped to front of queue
BARCELONA have joined the race for Scottish wonderkid Billy Gilmour.
The young midfielder is regarded as one of the brightest prospects produced north of the border in the last two decades.
Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City have all sent scouts to watch the Rangers starlet during Scotland’s 2016 Victory Shield campaign.
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But the Prem giants now face stiff competition to seal Gilmour’s signature as it emerged he is also on Barca’s radar.
According to reports, the La Liga champions sent their top youth talent spotter to assess the playmaker in Scotland’s Under-16s clash with France in September.
He then returned to see Gilmour, 15, put in a man-of-the-match performance in the 2-0 Victory Shield win over Northern Ireland last week.
A scout from German champions Bayern Munich was also reportedly in attendance.
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A source told the : “Barcelona came to watch just Billy in the game against France and see him as a player in the Xavi or Iniesta mould in terms of his size and technical ability.
“It’s going to be very difficult for Rangers to hold onto him beyond the end of the season, when he turns 16. The top sides from abroad can offer money beyond the reach of Rangers and Celtic.”
Rangers are confident they can hold onto Gilmour and are ready to promise the whizkid a route to first-team football if he stays at Ibrox.
But Fifa rules mean they could pocket as little as £100,000 should he be tempted to join Barca’s famous La Masia academy.
Glasgow rivals Celtic face a similar situation with 13-year-old sensation Karamoko Dembele, who is also being monitored by Europe’s biggest clubs.
The Hoops also lost highly-rated striker Islam Feruz to Chelsea in similar circumstances in 2011 – although he has failed to make an impact at Stamford Bridge.