BARCELONA – Konrad of the Fountain, who will be 20 years old in July and joined the Barcelona youth squad in 2014, finalizes his departure from the Barça club, which is negotiating with Olympique de Marseille a loan with an option to buy at the end of next season for 5 million euros, as confirmed ESPN Deportes from sources close to the operation.
Before closing the agreement between the two clubs, Barça should make the two-year renewal clause included in the contract signed in 2020 effective or change the terms dealt with with OM.
Konrad, a native of Miami and who in September 2020 became the first footballer born in the United States to make his debut with the Barça first team, appeared at the beginning of this last year as one of the young values to follow closely, highly regarded footbally by the youth football technicians, and that surprised Koeman …
Although with the passage of the months his presence among those chosen by the Dutch coach was diluted, reducing his official appearances to two games in the Champions League (against Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros) and another in the King’s Cup against Cornellà, adding between all three matches 36 minutes.
Summoned with the first team in a total of 21 games without leaving the bench (18 of them in the League, in which he did not make his debut), the American winger was transcendental in García Pimienta’s plans for Barça B, playing 21 games in which he scored 6 goals.
Although speculation began with his departure a few months ago, this was confirmed as the most appropriate as soon as the second Barça team did not achieve promotion to 2nd Division A, it being understood that with the signing of Kun Agüero and the more than likely Depay not he would have space on Koeman’s roster and he was not considered to continue playing in the third category.
Related to a couple of clubs in the Spanish League, Olympique de Marseille, directed by Argentine Jorge Sampaoli and owned since 2016 by American Frank McCourt (who once owned the Los Angeles Dodgers), showed his interest in Konrad last week and it is considered that it would finalize its incorporation imminently.