Barcelona wants youth academy in Brazil

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona wants to open a youth academy in Brazil (read more here). This would have been the main reason for the visit of a Barcelona delegation to the South-American country last week.

Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain would have had contacts with three possible local partners and the club will now decide if they can start the project, which should be a copy of the model that has been put in place in Argentina (read more here).

During his trip, Begiristain met (1) in Rio de Janero with former Brazilian international Bebeto, who has now a sports marketing agency, (2) in São Paulo with executives of sports marketing agency Traffic, that opened earlier this month an academy in Porto Feliz, and (3) in Curitiba with player's agent Mario Zagallo, the son of former Brazilian international and national team coach Mario Zagallo, and several local investors. The second option seems at this moment the most unlikely one since Traffic wouldn't want their academy to be linked with one club.

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Barcelona will open youth academy in Brazil

Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo reports that Barcelona will open a youth academy in Brazil.

Although the place where the academy would be located hasn't yet been revealed, the projet should start before the end of this year.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta confirmed the news in an interview with the newspaper: "We will offer all kinds of assistance to the young players and their families. Brazil has always given us great players and this is a way to pay back what this country has done for us.

Of all the players we will raise, only a few will have the chance to go and play in Europe. All the others will stay in Brazilian football. So it's not only Barcelona who will benefit."

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