-
News
- 39 minutes ago
Romano: Premier League clubs in battle to sign Barcelona's 'next Pedri'
Tom Weber
- Updated: 1 Nov 2025 19:56 GMT
- 6 min read
News
Several Premier League clubs have been keeping tabs on Barcelona youngster Tommy Marques, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Blaugrana have one of the best midfields in world football, but head coach Hansi Flick is facing a major headache for the upcoming weeks. In August, Gavi suffered yet another long-term injury, and now Pedri has been sidelined, too.
The latter, who has notoriously struggled with injuries due to being overplayed at a young age, was coming off a long stretch of consecutive appearances, which gave Barcelona bosses hope that he had finally overcome the worst of his issues.
However, he will now be out for around a month. With Dani Olmo also sidelined, Barcelona are somewhat short of midfield options. During the week, Flick called up Barca Atletic youngster Tommy Marques to train with the first team in the absence of Pedri.
The midfielder turned 19 on Thursday and was rewarded with a senior training session. It remains to be seen whether he will be part of the squad to face Elche on Sunday or if he was just there to make up the numbers this week.
Premier League clubs monitoring Marques
According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, this likely isn't the last we have heard of Marques because the teenager has been attracting interest from England.
Although Romano did not disclose his suitors, he revealed that multiple Premier League clubs have been keeping tabs on the Spain U19 international.
However, just because Marques took Pedri's place in Barcelona training, it doesn't mean that he is the heir apparent to the Euro 2024 winner. On the contrary, Premier League clubs will be aware that he is a very different player.
While Pedri is a creative maestro, Marques is more of a defensive midfielder. The youngster has yet to contribute to a goal for Barca Atletic or their UEFA Youth League squad.
Romano insists that Barcelona 'trust Marques,' but he could become one to watch in future windows. With Marc Bernal and Marc Casado, the Blaugrana already have two supremely talented, young defensive midfielders, so Marques' path to regular first-team football could be blocked.
Football transfer news headlines today
Fabrizio Romano Transfer News: Man Utd’s Paqueta REALITY, Slot SACK latest, TWO Real Madrid deals
Chelsea can sign World Cup finalist thanks to bargain release clause
Man Utd barge Arsenal aside in race for the 'next Adriano'
Barcelona target BlueCo star after Chelsea transfer plan confirmed
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:
