Aston Villa targets young Spanish fullback from Barcelona
During Barcelona's summer pre-season tour of Asia, manager Hansi Flick has shifted his lineup to comply with La Liga's registration limits, which may leave a couple players, such as 19-year old fullback Hector Fort, searching for playing time elsewhere.
When FCB starting centerback Pau Cubarsi went down with an injury in the waning minutes of the club's friendly against Deagu FC, Fort was chosen to fill his spot in the lineup, though he's usually deployed as a proper fullback. In all, Fort accumulated just over 45 minutes of action during the pre-season, and he's at a crucial age where gaining on-field experience is of paramount importance.
This has led to the possibility of Fort leaving Barcelona on loan, and several major clubs have shown interest. As of late, however, Aston Villa of the English Premier League has extended overtures to the young Spanish defender in hopes of securing his transfer on a permanent deal.
According to Barcelona reporter Lucia Font, Villa have placed a 15 million Euro evaluation on the steady-passing fullback and will be progressing towards a transfer in the coming days.
With Barcelona's affinity for injecting youth into its lineup, Fort featured in 17 matches last season with five starts to his credit. During that time, Fort ranked as one of the most accurate defenders in all of La Liga, checking in at the 98th percentile for passes completed and passing accuracy per 90 minutes.
After Barcelona's 5-0 rout of Daegu FC on Aug. 4, Flick offered an encouraging message about Fort's development, though he did not indicate what the fullback's future would hold.
'I'm happy with what I saw from Hector Fort,' Flick told Football Espana. 'He trained well and played well the other day. Asia has been a very important part of the preseason for me, and there are ten more days left before we play against Mallorca.'
READ MORE: Girona on verge of selling leftback Miguel Gutierrez to Napoli
Making his way to the La Masia academy in Barcelona over a decade ago, Fort has long stood as a promising prospect within the FCB system, but an opportunity to play regular football in the Premier League could be a favorable proposition for the 19-year old defender.
For more information on La Liga and each of its 20 first division clubs, follow @EricJRutter and @sportingnews on X for continued football coverage.
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