Not Yamal or Cubarsi! The €1bn Barcelona wonderkid to benefit from Flick

Tom Weber

Updated: 17 Jun 2024 20:56 BST
4 min read

Noah Darvich could be the biggest beneficiary of Hansi Flick's arrival at Barcelona, according to German media.

Article continues under the video

The German tactician will succeed Xavi in the Barcelona dugout from next season onwards and transfer plans are already being put into place. The Catalans' great strength is their famed La Masia academy, which continues to relentlessly churn out talented youngsters.

This has helped Barcelona stay afloat during these dark times for the club, which have seen them struggle to get on an even keel financially for years. The likes of Pau Cubarsi, Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez all burst onto the scene last term, while Barcelona have also made smart acquisitions of young players such as Pedri and Gavi in recent years.

Every summer, several talented youngsters get offloaded to help Barcelona raise much-needed funds. Last year, the likes of Ez Abde and Chadi Riad were moved on, with Barcelona now reaping the rewards for including a 50 per cent sell-on clause in the latter's Real Betis contract. Riad has joined Crystal Palace for €15 million.

This year, too, several high-potential players will be sold such as Mika Faye and Ansu Fati. One youngster who appears to be untouchable, however, is Noah Darvich.

Flick wants Darvich

At least that is according to BILD, which reports that the German wonderkid could be one of the big beneficiaries of Flick's arrival in Catalunya. The former Bayern boss wants to get a good look at the 17-year-old in pre-season.

Darvich, a U17 World Cup winner and one of the most highly-rated players in the German talent pool, was snapped up from Freiburg last summer and fitted with a whopping €1 billion release clause, something that is usually reserved for the biggest gems at Barcelona.

Darvich's first season in Spain was a mixed bag, with the term disrupted by the U17 World Cup in Indonesia in late 2023, and some perhaps expected a bit more from the eminently talented and creative attacking midfielder.

It seems almost as though Darvich has fallen foul of Barca Athletic coach Rafa Marquez, with the youngster not getting off the bench at all in his side's last five matches. Thus far, the German has played just 25 games, mostly as a substitute, and notched three goals and two assists.

Nevertheless, Flick is determined to give the teenager a chance to show off his talents in pre-season due to several of Barcelona's key men returning for their club duties late due to the Euros and the Olympics.