Barcelona midfielder Pedri hasn’t ruled out playing in the Premier League in the future, potentially paving the way for an exit from Camp Nou even if not any time soon.
Pedri has been a key player for Barça since the age of 16 when he arrived from Las Palmas. By the end of his debut season, the teen prodigy had played 52 games in all competitions and played for Spain at both Euro 2020 and the Olympics in one summer.
Barça tied Pedri to a new long-term contract in the autumn of 2021, raising his mandatory buyout clause to €1bn – they had paid just €5m for him the previous year.
Injuries have seen Pedri, now 20, play fewer games this season and last. He remains sidelined now, missing the club’s last six fixtures in all competitions – including two against Real Madrid.
Pedri doesn’t have the same ties to Barça as someone either from the area or who has grown up in La Masia, or both, and he has been linked with an exit in the past – Bayern Munich in particular have often been mentioned in conjunction with the midfielder.
Speaking to TCL, the youngster admitted he is not against testing himself in England.
When the subject of heading to the Premier League was raised in the interview, he said, “At the moment, no. I’m at Barça and hopefully I’ll stay here for many more years. I love La Liga, but nothing should ever be ruled out.”
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The obvious fit would be Manchester City and not just because of Pep Guardiola, who is unlikely to still be at the club by the time Pedri decides he is ready to take the plunge.
City have, in many ways, tried to mimic Barcelona and their core philosophies over the last decade or so, which began with hiring Ferran Soriano as chief executive and Txiki Begiristain as director of football in 2012. Soriano had previously been a vice-president at Camp Nou from 2003 until 2008, while Begiristain was director of football from 2003 until 2010.
In terms of pure style, Arsenal could be another good fit given that Mikel Arteta is also a product of the Barcelona system and worked under Guardiola at City.
But for a player as good as Pedri, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool would never want to be excluded from the conversation and would likely put up good money if signing him was an option.
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