Deportivo Alaves eyes 17-year-old Barcelona academy player Toni Fernandez
Deportivo Alaves are looking at Barcelona's 17-year-old academy player Toni Fernandez, who is known for his creativity and technical skills. Although no formal talks have started, Alves is keeping a close eye on its progress.
Tony Fernandez, one of Barcelona's most talented academy players, is now attracting attention away from the Camp Nou. According to Sport, Deportivo Alaves are keeping an eye on Fernandez and are considering a summer purchase of the youngster in a bid to strengthen for the upcoming season.
Just 17 years old, Fernandez is considered one of the most outstanding talents to emerge from La Masia. The attacking midfielder has established a good reputation for his creativity, technical quality and ability to impact matches in the final third. The report adds that there have been no formal talks at this time, but the growing interest from Alaves shows how much the teenager is valued in Spanish football.
Fernandez's development has not gone unnoticed in Barcelona's first team setup either. The youngster has already had opportunities to work under Hansi Flick and took part in pre-season activities with the senior squad last summer. His progress has made a positive impression on the German coach, who is hoping to take another close look at the midfielder during this summer's training camp.
This opportunity could be crucial as many academy players are hoping to feature in Flick's long-term plans, and another pre-season would give Fernandez a strong chance to show he is ready for the next stage of his development. The teenager has already experienced his official senior debut in the Copa del Rey against Barbastro.
Notably, while Fernandez has developed away from the first team, Alaves' interest is not surprising, as the club's recent recruitment strategy has focused on identifying young Spanish talents who have significant potential for development. According to information cited by Angel Garcia, the Barcelona academy graduate is being considered as one of the names being evaluated by Alaves, with the club seeing him as a player who is capable of adding creativity and long-term value. At present, there is no indication that talks have progressed beyond the initial interest, but Alaves, like Sevilla, have been monitoring him in pre-season and may opt to make a move after seeing him through.