4 European Under-21 Stars Who Should Be on Barcelona's Radar

Barcelona should always be on the lookout for the best young footballing talent available.

Be that by bringing them through the La Masia system, or purchasing from elsewhere, if the Catalans want to stay at the summit of European football, the scouting system needs to venture far and wide.

There are some super young players that currently ply their trades in the top leagues in the continent, and one or two that could certainly make their mark in Blaugrana.

Let's take a look at four of the best U21 players that wouldn't look out of place at Camp Nou...

Oliver Torres

Dave Thompson/Getty Images

On loan at Porto, Atletico Madrid's Oliver Torres is one to watch.

Oliver Torres has continued his development whilst on loan at FC Porto from Atletico Madrid, and has no doubt impressed Barcelona's technical staff in the process.

After all, it's been two years since Sky Sports' Guillem Balague originally noted Barca's interest:

"

Atletico Madrid came in and they got a deal (on David Villa) for 2.5m euros - that is all for the first year. If he stays for three years it is 4.6m euros. Why so cheap? I found out that Barcelona have a first option on [18-year-old Atletico midfielder] Oliver Torres.

"

The playmaker has an enviable skill set that is not dissimilar to Xavi's and Andres Iniesta's and in Portugal's Liga Sagres, Torres has flourished.

Despite being one of the smallest players on view most weeks, that natural ability to find time and space in an often congested midfield is what sets him apart from his contemporaries.

Should the Catalans eventually take up that first option on the player, it will be interesting to see how much Atleti now value him at.

Almost certainly Barca will get him cheaper than market value owing to the Villa deal and given his huge potential, it could be the best piece of transfer business that Barca have concluded in a while should it happen.

Hachim Mastour

Still only 17 years of age, AC Milan's Hachim Mastour has just about everything in his locker to become a major star on the world stage.

With skills that only a select few players possess, Mastour does still need to prove he has the mettle required to make it at the very highest level, but Barcelona have to be interested if the player's services become available.

As many opposition players have already found, once Mastour is in possession of the football he is very hard to dispossess. 

His strength on the ball in a physical sense is often overlooked because of the penchant to underscore each move with some other-worldly show of skill.

That tendency to over-elaborate the showboating needs to be reined in somewhat, but he is an entertainer in the Ronaldinho mould and therefore to dilute it completely would take much from his natural game.

If he can maximise his natural talent with a team ethic however, then his purchase really would be a no-brainer for the Catalans.

Aymeric Laporte

David Ramos/Getty Images

Aymeric Laporte wouldn't come cheaply, but he would be worth the outlay.

Barca have seen first-hand the defensive excellence of 21-year-old Aymeric Laporte.

The Athletic Bilbao stopper has won plaudits throughout his career but Los Leones are no mugs when it comes to transfer dealings.

Earlier this month the club tied the player down to a new contract that would keep him at San Mames until 2019, per Adam Crafton of the Daily Mail.

Importantly however, even though his release clause has now been raised to £36.5 million, that figure is still attainable for clubs such as Barcelona.

It makes the transfer more difficult, but not impossible. And there is little justification required for Laporte being worth every penny.

He reads the game wonderfully well and his timing in the tackle is immaculate.

As one would expect from a Bilbao player, Laporte is a real warrior and more than able to deal with the physical rigours of the game.

A sound purchase if Barca decided to take the plunge.

Ruben Vezo

EuroFootball/Getty Images

Portugal's Ruben Vezo is winning admirers at Valencia.

Valencia's Ruben Vezo probably isn't a name that is too well known at present.

Although he has only 14 competitive appearances for Los Che over the past two seasons, the 21-year-old has bags of potential and would be a cheaper alternative at the back than Laporte.

Adept at a sweeping role at the back, Vezo should be looking to add to his appearance tally over the course of the next La Liga campaign, where we should see quite a bit more of him if Nicolas Otamendi departs as expected.

James Robson of Manchester Evening News speculates that Manchester City are one club keeping tabs on the movements of Otamendi over the summer.

Such a move would fast-track Vezo into the first XI at Mestalla and while he needs to work on the physical aspects of his game, his ability on the ball and general reading of the game would sit well with those in the corridors of power at Barca.