Mino Raiola visits Barcelona’s La Masia to add 14-year-old Dutch wonderkid Xavi Simons to his list of players
Deal-maker who has guided the careers of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba among others looks to snap up latest signing
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SUPERAGENT Mino Raiola visited Barcelona's famed La Masia academy to add wonderkid Xavi Simons to his list of players, according to reports.
say the man responsible for guiding the careers of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba wants to do the same with the 14-year-old Dutch talent.
Simons has been identified as one of the key names to look out for as he progresses through the ranks at the same academy Lionel Messi attended.
And there is genuine belief among Nou Camp supremos that he could one day go on to become a star in the first team - like his namesake and hero Xavi.
The chances of that will no doubt be greatly increased with Raiola pulling the strings in the background.
also claimed Simons' dad, Regillio, sat with Raiola as the pair watched the starlet playing against Sant Gabriel.
The Spanish site published images appearing to show Raiola and Simons jumping into the same car together, along with the lad's father.
Simons has so far been represented by his old man, 44, who had a journeyman career as a striker through the Dutch leagues.
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The timing of Raiola's visit is intriguing.
Raiola recently told Messi he needs to leave the Nou Camp to prove his greatness.
He said: "A player like Messi must try another experience with a different club and prove how great he is.
"Barcelona must be reinvented again."