Barcelona lose chance to sign in-demand forward, €40m offer rejected

Barcelona's hopes of landing one of the most sought after young players in Europe has suffered a major blow after Karim Adeyemi decided that he does not want to join the Catalan club next summer. The free scoring attacker prefers a move to Germany over Spain in order to ensure he does not lose his place in the German national set up.

Adeyemi's talent was brought to the attention of the top clubs after his blistering start to the season with current club Red Bull Salzburg. The Germany international has scored 15 goals in 26 appearances in all competitions this season, and that has seen a number of clubs make their interest known in signing the forward.

According to Sky Sports Austria, Barcelona were keen to take him to the Camp Nou next summer and were ready to offer €40 million for his services. However, the versatile forward has decided that he does not want to move to Spain next summer, and will prefer a move to Germany.

Adeyemi feels that a move to Spain could reduce his chances of maintaining his place in the German national team. The 19-year-old is keen to develop his game in Germany, with Borussia Dortmund expected to be his next destination.

The Salzburg forward's potential move to Dortmund is said to be in an advanced stage with the report claiming that it is almost "90-95" percent complete, which will come as a major blow to all the clubs pursuing the forward. Adeyemi himself hinted that the Signal Iduna Park could be his next destination when he spoke about wanting to follow in the footsteps of former Salzburg star Erling Haaland.

"It's true, in recent years a lot of young people have matured in Salzburg and then landed in the best international clubs," Adeyemi said, as quoted on Barca Blaugranes.

"I am thinking of Erling Haaland, but also of Sadio Mané and Naby Keita of Liverpool. Or Dominik Szoboszlai, who moved to Leipzig. Obviously, I also have this goal: I would like the next stage of my career to be at a top club."