Barcelona Transfer News: Youth Discoveries Must Be Retained for Club Ethos

Most of the recent conversation relating to Barcelona's investment in youth talent has revolved around who was coming into the club, but now Luis Enrique has to concentrate on ensuring there's no exodus of starlets.

The Catalan giants are famed for their ability to produce prodigious talent en masse, and an inevitable by-product of that success sees Europe's other powerhouses come sniffing in an attempt to lure some potential of their own.

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The Daily Star's Chisanga Malata reports that midfielder Sergi Samper was subject to a £10 million bid from Arsenal, rejected by the Blaugrana, while 11-year-old starlet Xavier Simons is interesting Chelsea, per David Wright of the Daily Express. 

It's of course nothing new for La Masia's talents, both graduates and current understudies alike, to draw mass intrigue from around the continent, but the timing is particularly bad for Barca to allow any departures at present.

As Dermot Corrigan pointed out, last month brought the news that Barca would bring their 2015 transfer ban in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, having had an initial appeal to FIFA rejected:

The ban, brought about as a result of signing underage players, would see the Spanish giants unable to conclude any transfer market business until January 2016, bringing a new significance to those talents already at the club.

While a player like £70 million Luis Suarez may be of substantial importance to the squad, so too are up-and-coming assets such as Munir El Haddadi, the forward having recently gone from Barca senior debut to Spanish international, per SPORT:

Another figure to have risen from the youth ranks into a first-team role of late is forward Sandro, who came on as a substitute to net the 1-0 winner in Barca's recent La Liga triumph over Villarreal.

Tom Conn of Inside Spanish Football quotes the attacker in speaking highly of his manager, stating that Enrique has a firm belief in promoting the squad's younger figures:

"

Personally, I’m happy but especially because of the work of the team. Thanks to Leo, I scored the winning goal. Messi and Neymar are two great players, but this is done to work of the entire team and we leave happy. I dedicate the goal to my family and the incredible manager. He relies on the youth system and today it has come around with a winning goal, for a win that is very important for us.

"

Given the transfer ban, it's perhaps unsurprising that certain academy players are now making their move into the first team, Barca more pushed than ever to unearth every advantage they can.

However, it's only positive for the club to do so, and while offers for the likes of Samper and others may arrive, it's essential they be rejected and not risk depleting resources further, even if it is just youth we're talking about.

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In recent years, La Masia hasn't been as prolific as it once was in migrating stars directly into Barcelona's senior divisions, perhaps as a result of different management styles or foreign acquisitions playing a bigger influence.

That being said, one major positive that could come of the club's ban is the need to rely on youth turning into a fruitful venture, and a more substantial chance for the young guns bringing on a new generation of homegrown stars as a result.