18-year-old snubs move to Barcelona despite agreeing fee; set for Premier League switch - Reports

Barcelona have reportedly missed out on signing Swedish wonderkid Lucas Bergvall, who is set to join Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur instead. AS (via The Athletic) has claimed that the teenager has snubbed a move to Camp Nou and will now join Spurs instead.

The Swedish midfielder, who has just turned 18 today (February 2), emerged as one of the hottest prospects in Europe of late. As per the report, Barcelona looked destined to secure the youngster but Tottenham have managed to convince the midfielder thanks to their Danish technical director Johan Lange.

Spurs have reportedly agreed a £8.5 million fee for the 18-year-old with Djurgarden and will sign a five-year contract following his medical. The highly regarded midfielder will be loaned back to Djurgarden for the remainder of the season and will be integrated to the Tottenham side next season.

Bergvall visited both Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur earlier this week meeting key personnel. Missing out on the talented youngster will be a major blow to the Blaugrana and also raises questions over their recruitment team.

Bergvall is a versatile midfielder who is capable of playing either as a number six or number eight. The 6 ft 1 in player is blessed with an all-round skillset and is already capped once by Sweden at senior level.

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Barcelona looking to bring back manager who gave Lionel Messi his debut

Barcelona are reportedly considering bringing Frank Rijkaard back to the hot seat as they look for a new manager. Current manager Xavi Hernandez has already announced that he will leave the Catalan giants at the end of the season following a disappointing season so far.

According to Radio MARCA (via Fichajes.net), Rijkaard is being considered as a candidate to replace Xavi. The Dutch football great has been out of management for quite some time now since leaving the job of Saudi Arabia in 2013.

The Dutchman was in charge of Barca between 2003 and 2008 during which the club won five trophies including two La Liga titles and one Champions League. He was also the manager who gave Lionel Messi his debut for the club.

However, the report claims that Barcelona might find it difficult to convince Rijkaard to return to management. The Dutchman has reportedly been busy with his businesses outside of football and is not keen on managing again.