Reports: Barcelona beat Real Madrid and Chelsea to sign Spanish wonderkid

What's the story?

Barcelona have wrapped up the signing of Spanish centre-back Iker San Vicente from Osasuna on a free transfer, according to a report in Spanish news outlet, SPORT. The 16-year-old was highly sought after by a host of clubs, with Real Madrid, Juventus, Chelsea and Arsenal all interested in offering him professional terms.

However, Barcelona have reportedly won the race for his signature, and San Vicente will be immediately lining up with the Juvenil B squad. Osasuna are reportedly preparing a complaint, but Barcelona hope to negotiate a minor fee that will offset the youngster's development costs. 'Sanvi' had earlier rejected signing professional terms with Osasuna, after receiving multiple offers from around the world.

In case you didn't know...

Standing 1.90m tall, despite being only 16 years old, Iker San Vicente is the most promising product to come out of Osasuna's academy. The youngster has captained the youth teams on occasion, with his composed style of play earning plenty of plaudits. Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao reportedly tried to steal the youngster away last summer, only for the centre-back to commit himself to the club he was developed at for last season.

The heart of the matter

Having already lost their best defensive prospect in Eric Garcia to Manchester City, Barcelona were on the lookout for promising centre-backs across Spain. They were alerted to San Vicente's availability by La Masia midfielder Robert Navarro's agent, who also became Sanvi's agent in the process.

San Vicente's arrival is also set to ease the pressure on the club hierarchy, who have faced criticism for the lack of players coming through from La Masia. The player is considered one of the best young talents in Spain, as is evidenced by the offers that came in from the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus, Chelsea and Arsenal.

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Author's Take:

Labelled the 'next Gerard Pique', Iker San Vicente is no ordinary talent. The youngster in already in line for the youth-group Spanish national teams, and looks likely to have a big future. Even if he will not work out, Barcelona have basically not undertaken any risk, as the player arrives on a free transfer. Any compensation that they will pay to Osasuna is likely to be minor, and the Blaugrana may have pulled off a real coup here.