Barcelona interested in young Mexican starlet

Barcelona continue to work the youth angle to find the Barca stars of tomorrow. Barça Atlètic have already seen a number of additions over the summer, most notably attacking midfielder Noah Darvich from Freiburg, Mika Faye from Croatian side NK Kustosija and striker Diego Percan from Spanish side CyD Leonesa.

Now they’re being linked with Mexican starlet Heriberto Jurado, who despite being only 18 years of age, has already made 42 senior appearances for Liga MX side Necaxa.

Barcelona have other priorities during the final days of the transfer window, with the Joao Cancelo signing still dragging as we enter the final days of the window. There is still optimism that the deal will eventually get done, but the closer we get to the end of August, the more stressful the situation becomes.

Who is Heriberto Jurado?

Predominantly a left-winger, Jurado has scored just once in 42 games for Necaxa and registered only 2 assists. Despite the limited production, he’s widely regarded as one of the brightest stars of Mexican football.

Last year UK publication The Guardian named Jurado in their next-generation feature, including him in the list of the 60 best young talents in world football saying:

"“With more than 1,000 minutes played in the first division, a pair of appearances in Mexico’s squad for the Concacaf Under-20s Championship, and rubbing shoulders with North America’s best as a Liga MX All-Star in the summer, Jurado is ahead of his peers. The left-footed attacker has a powerful shot and an accurate cross and also a burst of acceleration that takes defenders by surprise: or at least it does for now. He’s on the radar of several foreign clubs and top defenders will need to do their homework as Jurado works to become the next great Mexican winger. “"

Signing Jurado won’t be easy with the Mexican attracting the interest of Portuguese duo Sporting and Porto according to Mundo Deportivo.

Barcelona have plenty of forward talent in the senior and youth ranks, and signing Jurado would be with an eye to the future. They could also sign and loan him back to Mexico to ensure he can continue his development in a comfortable environment.