Barcelona suffer transfer blow as Guilherme Arana reveals he is expected to join Sevilla in January

Barcelona's hopes of signing Corinthians starlet Guilherme Arana look all but extinguished with the 20-year-old left-back claiming that he is instead expected to move to Sevilla during the upcoming January transfer window.

Arana has garnered a reputation as one of the most promising full-backs around the world during his time in Brazil, being tipped to follow in the footsteps of other compatriots such as Real Madrid legend Roberto Carlos or Marcelo.

Sevilla tried to lure him to La Liga during the summer transfer window but the player stayed at Corinthians after the clubs failed to reach an agreement.

It has been said that Atletico Madrid were also considering joining the race to secure his signature with manager Diego Simeone in the hunt for a long-term replacement for Filipe Luis.

Last week Sport revealed that Barcelona were also closely monitoring the situation after having been impressed by Arana's rise since Catalan scouts discovered him in the Under-20 South American championships played in Ecuador.

The Spanish publication likened Arana to Real's Marcelo and said that Barcelona had identified him as a potential replacement for Lucas Digne.

However, it looks like Ernesto Valverde will have to look elsewhere to bolster the left-back postion with Sevilla set to win the race for the Brazilian starlet.

Arana himself confirmed the news after helping Corinthians to claim their seventh Campeonato Brasileiro title with a 3-1 victory over Fluminense on Wednesday night.

Questioned whether he will leave Corinthians following the triumph, Arana confirmed to Sport TV: "Everything indicates that yes. [I will] go to Spain. I haven't signed anything but I have the possibility of moving to Spain."

Pressed if his next club will be Barcelona, Arana said: "Nothing official came from Barcelona. It came from Sevilla. I can not speak, I just have to thank Corinthians."

ESPN Brazil adds that the deal will be completed for around €12m (£10.7m, $14.1m) with Sevilla set to triple Arana's current wages at Corinthians.