Barcelona Transfer News: 'New Neymar' Gabriel Barbosa Eyed, Lionel Messi Latest

We’ve seen a myriad of young players burst onto the scene and branded the “next Lionel Messi” or the “new Cristiano Ronaldo,” but 18-year-old Gabriel Barbosa being touted as the “new Neymar”—the Barcelona man is only 22 years old himself—will surely do plenty to make a host of us feel very old indeed.

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In any case, Barbosa is a player that has clearly got pulses racing across Europe with a number of scintillating displays for Santos.

If that wasn’t enough to warrant comparison to Brazil’s golden boy, according to David Wright of the Express, the player could well be on his way to Barcelona, too.

Wright claims that Barbosa has a buyout clause in his current contract that would see a bid accepted for a staggering £40 million.

However, according to the piece, Santos would be willing to accept a £24 million bid from the Catalonians, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United also reportedly willing to stump up the requisite cash to land this capricious talent.

Here’s a glimpse of why Barbosa—or “Gabigol”—has been tipped for stardom:

At this early stage in his career, Barbosa would be wise to mirror the progression Neymar made in order to get the best out of his ability.

The current Barcelona No. 11 decided against a move to Europe until he was a little more refined as a player and mentally mature. With 11 goals already this season from just 12 La Liga appearances, per WhoScored.com, the Camp Nou club are reaping the rewards.

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Moving to a giant of European football with an enormous price tag to live up to could potentially nullify a player as outrageously skilful but still as raw as Barbosa. Santos demonstrated an ability to guide Neymar astutely, and there’s nothing to suggest that the crown jewel of their current side won’t undertake a similar type of progression.

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The man Neymar currently plies his trade with at Barcelona is the genial Argentinian Lionel Messi.

Comments made by the Barca No. 10 about his future, per Sid Lowe of ESPN FC, seem to have been forgotten following a pair of patented Messi hat-tricks against Sevilla and APOEL Nicosia. However, one of his compatriots doesn’t seem to have let it slip his mind.

Sergio Aguero, a man who has been in devastatingly prolific goalscoring form himself this season, has admitted that he’ll be doing his utmost to persuade Messi to trade sunny Catalonia for Manchester.

“It will be difficult to convince him, but I will try,” the Manchester City man told Mundo Deportivo (h/t ESPN). “It would be good if all the great players were in the Premier League.”

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City supporters will be delighted to hear their star forward—who is close friends with the Barcelona man—is nudging Messi on a potential move to the Etihad Stadium.

After all, a strike partnership boasting the Argentina duo is certainly an enticing prospect.

Here's some of Messi's finest moments from games with the national side:

Such is Aguero’s sensational form this season, City manager Manuel Pellegrini thinks their striker is just as important to the Premier League champions' cause as Messi is to Barcelona, per Peter O’Rourke of Sky Sports:

If Messi was to eventually up sticks and leave La Liga, City’s substantial Argentinian contingent and substantial financial backing would certainly make them a desirable destination.

However, that minor quip about potentially leaving Barcelona shouldn’t have Cules too worried. Expect Messi to remain at the Camp Nou for a long time yet, as he looks to fire this blossoming young team toward a plethora of major honours.