Chelsea have completed the signing of Barcelona striker Marc Guiu after agreeing to meet the teenager’s €6 million ($6.4m) release clause, the club announced on Monday.
Guiu, 18, has joined the Premier League side after deciding to leave Barça, where he had one year left on his contract.
Other European clubs were also prepared to meet the value of Guiu’s contract release clause, while negotiations to extend his stay at Barça took place as well, but the player has opted to move to London.
Sources have told ESPN that it has been communicated to him that the plan is for him to form part of the first-team squad at Chelsea, which was a major factor behind his decision.
Guiu first joined Barça 11 years ago as a seven-year-old and, after progressing through the academy, made his first team debut this past season.
He scored just 23 seconds into his debut to help secure a 1-0 win against Athletic Club last October. He also netted in the Champions League defeat to Antwerp.
However, he regularly found himself behind Robert Lewandowski in the pecking older, while Barça also signed Brazil striker Vítor Roque in January.
Therefore, despite training with the first team, Guiu ended the season playing for the B team as they pushed for promotion to the second tier of Spanish football.
He scored six goals in 16 appearances for Barça Atlétic, although he was unable to find the net last week as they lost to Córdoba in the playoff final.
There is disappointment that he will now leave the club, with sources telling ESPN that he is highly valued because, as a more traditional, tall No. 9, he has attributes which aren’t often present in La Masia.
Sources inside Barça feel it was an error to give Guiu exposure in the first team, “effectively putting him in the shop window,” without having first agreed a longer deal with the player that included a higher release clause.
Other youngsters who have broke through this season, including Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí, Hector Fort and Marc Casadó, have all signed contracts with more lucrative release clauses.
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