Barcelona ready to sign Austrian Lionel Messi

FC Barcelona has joined the list of clubs that are reportedly going after the signature of Rapid Vienna forward Yusuf Demir. Incidentally, the 17-year-old has been nicknamed the "Austrian Messi" after Barcelona's Argentine captain.

Demir is also a left-footed attacker, and has recently caught the attention of some of Europe's most elite clubs. According to Marca, Barcelona will be facing competition from the likes of English Premier League sides Manchester United and Manchester City as well as Bundesliga clubs like Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

Various news outlets have reported that the Catalans are interested, and have even gone so far as to say that they are planning to offer between six to eight million euros for the teenager's signature.

It has also been reported that Rapid Vienna is indeed planning on selling, and are open to making a deal as early as this coming summer. Demir's current contract with the club however, does not officially expire until 2022, but the club is reportedly willing to make an early lucrative sale.

Rapid's youth academy will be pleased with the outcome if they manage to create a deal that will catapult Demir into international stardom. He has proven himself to be dangerous in attack, and has made six goals and two assists so far this season. He can still improve some aspects of his defensive game, but it is something that any of the world's top managers can help him with.

Demir made his debut with Rapid Vienna's first team in 2019, and has since already made enough noise to be compared to Lionel Messi.. The Argentine meanwhile, is also in the centre of transfer speculations. After announcing that he wanted to leave Camp Nou last summer, it remains to be seen if recent changes at the club will convince him to stay.