Spanish news outlet, Don Balon has reported that Barcelona are interested in Real Madrid midfielder, Oscar Rodriguez who has not played a single game for the senior side this season. He is way behind in the pecking order against the likes of established senior stars like Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric. Zinedine Zidane might not be the manager to bet his future with who has allocated the team with every player deployed with a specific responsibility.
Dani Ceballos, Marcos Llorente and Mateo Kovacic are struggling to find regular minutes on the pitch and Oscar’s chances are therefore significantly lower at least in the near future.
At 19-years-old, Oscar is still a developing talent who is capable of playing for clubs in the lower ranks of the La Liga. But can he flourish at Barcelona? Judging by the careers of Cesc Fabregas, Thiago Alcantara, Rafinha and now Denis Suarez it will one of the toughest challenges in his career.
The league leaders are well known in the football world to produce some of the world’s best talents through their youth academy, La Masia. Countless products have been provided with a chance to make their name at Camp Nou but the majority have failed. Players like Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez are considered as one of the world’s best – if not the best for a reason – they are irreplaceable, even under multiple managers that have come and gone over the past decade.
Oscar is a technically adept presence who can be a versatile presence at the heart of the park. Perfectly suited to the number eight role he has scored 6 and assisted 3 in 24 appearances for the Real Madrid U23 side this season.
Barcelona are already cemented their spot at the top of the La Liga table with an 11-point lead and are motivated to topple the Galacticos as the European Champions by going past Chelsea in the round of 16 next month. Ernesto Valverde is eyeing a strong finish to the season and have already got his start signing in Philippe Coutinho. Oscar’s case will have to be really strong in order for the move to be even sanctioned by their direct and biggest rivals.
So where does Oscar’s future lie in a Barcelona shirt? The chances are very slim and the youngster is well off opting for a loan move out to a side like Sevilla or Villareal. Both the Spanish outfits are contending for a place in the top four and are currently stacked in the Europa League spots. Both the clubs have suffered from a lack of depth from the benches and having to rely on their key playmakers, Ever Banega and Manu Trigueros.
