Barcelona have received a bid from Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad to sign Barca Atletic captain Unai Hernandez, it has been revealed, with the La Liga side keen to raise funds to sign Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford.
20-year-old Hernandez is a key part of the academy setup at Barcelona and has made a handful of appearances on the first-team bench. His current contract is due to expire in the summer and there had been an expectation that he would extend his stay at the club.
However, interest from Saudi Arabia has complicated things and now SPORT state Hernandez has asked not to feature for Barca's youth side while he negotiates a switch to Al Ittihad, which could be worth around 5m.
Hernandez is not the only youth player in Saudi Arabia's sights. Defensive midfielder Pau Prim is reported to be keen on making the move, while winger Arnau Pradas is also considering heading to the Middle East this month.
Those sales would go a long way to helping Barcelona fund a move for Rashford, who is available for loan after being exiled by United head coach Ruben Amorim. The Englishman is thought to be prepared to lower his salary to join Hansi Flick's side on loan this month, but Barcelona need to free up some funds before being able to make the move.
Whether the sales of a handful of youth prospects would free up enough to sign Rashford remains to be seen, but SPORT add that Barcelona could soon receive the sort of bid that would guarantee enough financial freedom as Saudi dealmakers are also looking to lure Pedri over to the Middle East.
Barcelona have no desire to part ways with Pedri, who is instead expected to renew his contract imminently, but Saudi officials will continue to try and convince the 22-year-old to leave until he puts pen to paper.
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