Luka Jovic's Father Says Forward Has 'No Interest' in Barcelona Transfer

Luka Jovic's father has said his son is not interested in joining Barcelona at this time, and his focus is instead on playing UEFA Champions League football with Eintracht Frankfurt next season. 

The father made the comments in an interview with Bild (h/t Goal's Ronan Murphy), acknowledging there have been enquiries from the Catalan giants:

Per Murphy, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City are also interested in the 21-year-old, who has been among the Bundesliga's top breakout stars this season.

He's finishing up a two-year loan stint with Frankfurt, who have a €6 million (£5.3m/$6.8m) option to sign him permanently from Benfica, per Murphy. The Germans are widely expected to take up their option, knowing his transfer value has risen to several times that fee.

Jovic has already scored 17 goals in Germany's top division this season, putting Frankfurt in a position to qualify for next year's Champions League. They lead Borussia Monchengladbach by four points in the race for fourth place and the final ticket.

The Bundesliga's official YouTube channel recently ran a feature on the Serbia international:

Jovic has long been regarded as a star for the future, appearing on the Guardian's Next Generation list of top talents back in 2014. At the time, Aleksandar Holiga described him as the "Serbian Radamel Falcao," who was making waves for the country's most decorated team, Red Star Belgrade.

He moved to Portugal in 2016, in what was seen as a smart move for his career. Like Red Star, Benfica have an excellent reputation for nurturing young talent, and big things were expected from the teenager.

He barely saw playing time with the Eagles, however, and was sent out on loan less than two years after joining Benfica.

It's safe to say Eintracht came out ahead in that deal:

The Serb will face his parent club in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League, with the first leg taking place on Thursday. 

Frankfurt have been among the most entertaining teams in the Europa League and Bundesliga this season, spearheaded by the attacking trio of Jovic, Sebastien Haller and Ante Rebic.

They've worked wonders for Jovic's development, giving him plenty of playing time, and after his ill-fated stint at Benfica, it's easy to see why the striker would prefer to stay in Germany for now.

At the age of 21 he has plenty of time left to make the switch to a top club like Barcelona, who likely wouldn't move Luis Suarez to the bench in favour of the Serb anytime soon.