Barcelona is not only planning its squad for next season, but Deco is also working with an eye on the future. For some time now, the sporting director has been closely following the progress of Cardoso Varela, a young Portuguese footballer. At 16 years old, his short career has been marked by his departure from Porto to head to Dinamo Zagreb, and a well-known complaint because of it.
There's been a lot of commotion, although this isn't causing any problems for Deco to move forward with negotiations. Although Porto's president has threatened Barça with a complaint and to cut off relations, nothing has stopped. To the point that Fabrizio Romano has provided updates on Cardoso Varela's signing for the Catalan side.
Varela has signed a new contract to stay at Dinamo until 2030, although there's a catch. All parties are moving in the same direction, aiming for the Portuguese footballer to end up wearing Barça's jersey. However, this wouldn't happen until the summer of 2026, giving him a full season in Croatia so he can feel important and grow.
The latest rumors point to a proposal of 5 million euros for Cardoso Varela, which could increase significantly with add-ons. In total, there would be another 20 million euros ("kilos") depending on his individual performance and titles, confirming the enormous belief in his unbelievable potential.
There's commotion with Cardoso Varela
So far, Varela's short career has been marked by his controversial departure from Porto. His agent, Andy Bara, whom Deco keeps a great relationship with and is very much in favor of carrying out this important deal, has spoken recently.
Regarding Porto's president's latest words, Bara replied: "Villas-Boas called several European clubs so they wouldn't sign Cardoso Varela, who at that time was a free agent. He doesn't recognize FIFA or the Portuguese courts that ruled in favor of the boy and his parents. Villas-Boas acts like the kind of guy whose wife has left him, she's already gone with someone else, and he keeps insisting she's his."
"Barcelona has nothing to do with this. Varela is a Dinamo player, and right now ten clubs want him. If he ends up at Barça, I really don't know. There's nothing signed or agreed with them. Then Villas-Boas sends a letter to Barça based on what he's read in the media. But what kind of club president does that? He should worry about his own team," he concluded.
It's yet to be seen where Cardoso Varela's future lies, but right now everything seems to indicate that it'll be at Camp Nou...