Barcelona academy defender Marc Jurado has confirmed that he will be leaving the La Masia development side of the club this month after being linked to Manchester United for the past few months. The 16-year-old made the announcement on Instagram and will be a free agent from tomorrow (Wednesday 1 July 2020).
The right-back has been heavily linked to United and reports in May suggested that the player had agreed personal terms with the Old Trafford club ahead of a summer transfer. Barcelona were desperate to hold onto the teenager but it was suggested the offer from United was too good to turn down. Jurado, on his personal Instagram account, said:
“It’s never easy to leave a team that has given you everything. FC Barcelona has been my second home, my second family, where I have developed as a player and as a person.
“Today it’s time to say goodbye, but not before expressing my gratitude to each of the people who have helped me since I started in the prebenjamín in the year 2011.
“I have been lucky to share my passion with a fantastic generation, with which I will always be linked.”
The player has seemingly decided to leave the club and try England, just like Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique, both doing quite well before returning to the Nou Camp at a later date, which is a path that Jurado might follow – who knows? After Ansu Fati and Ilaix Moriba signed new contract, Barcelona were confident of securing Jurado too.
However, that is not the case with the player leaving the club and officials a free agent tomorrow. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to entrust youth in his era of club management and it seems United are doing that by investing in some of the best youth players from around Europe. United won’t have to pay a transfer fee but will be expected to pay compensation.
It is expected that United might have to pay £200,000 for Jurado, which might not be so good for Barcelona as the player has been part of their academy since he was seven-years-old. It will be a bargain for United. This is similar to the way Paul Pogba left United in the summer of 2012 with only compensation payable from Juventus. Speaking on his Instagram account, Jurado also said:
“We started as boys who just wanted to run after a ball and I say goodbye, nine years later, calling them friends.
“Only we know the immense luck we have had with all the coaches who have developed us and helped us to keep fulfilling our dreams.
“Every stage has a beginning and an end. Mine, having reflected a lot with my family, has come. I leave behind unforgettable memories which will always stay with me.”
