Barcelona moves for Samuele Inácio and sets off alarms in Dortmund

FC Barcelona

The Italian-born forward has already had minutes with the first team, and his progress has sparked debate about his immediate future. According to ‘Bild’, the German club fears losing a player they consider strategic, while PSG is also tracking him.

Inácio has already logged more than 70 minutes with the first team, in a match against Freiburg, a decision seen as an attempt to keep the under-19 international. The move came from coach Niko Kovac and the club itself, which seeks to consolidate him in the professional structure.

At 18 years old, the Italian stands out as the player with the most talent in Dortmund’s reserves. This season, he has recorded 10 goals and two assists, playing as an attacking midfielder or winger, maintaining development that the club rates as very notable.

Renewal in progress

Dortmund has Inácio under contract until 2027, but has already put a proposal on the table to extend his contract since he turned 18 in April. According to the German outlet, the player currently earns around 150,000 euros a year, and the offer contemplates raising that amount to nearly 500,000 euros per season.

Besides the pay raise, the club would have promised that, starting next season, he will be in the full dynamic of the first team.

Meanwhile, in the Cule environment, they say the monitoring has been going on for months and that contact has already been made with the player. In this scenario, Barcelona considers two paths: trying to lift him from Dortmund for an agreed reduced amount this season or waiting until 2027 when he arrives on a free transfer. The sporting idea would be to incorporate him into Barcelona’s youth football with options to make the jump to the first team.

Meanwhile, Dortmund would already have ready a new professional contract extending until 2030 to prevent other giants from calling on his door, and Kovac has given him his chance in four matches since late February. For his part, the player’s environment views continuing to grow under Kovac positively, as he is showing that he is not afraid to trust the younger players.