Liverpool snubbed as Barcelona set to complete €24m signing of France U20 starlet

Posted Monday, May 08, 2017 by Caughtoffside.com

Atletico Madrid defender Theo Hernandez is reportedly set to turn down Liverpool and Real Madrid in favour of joining Barcelona this summer.

The 19-year-old is currently on loan at Alaves this season, making 30 La Liga appearances and seemingly enjoying a consistent run of first-team football.

With that in mind, the France U20 starlet is said to be prioritising a move which will guarantee that he plays regularly as he eyes a spot in the France squad for next summer's World Cup, and it appears as though he believes Barcelona will offer him the best possible chance.

According to Sport, he's close to joining the Catalan giants even though Real Madrid were the first team to insist that they were ready to meet his €24m release clause.

However, Hernandez would prefer to join Barcelona as per the report as the club made an approach for him previously while sporting director Robert Fernandez is said to have impressed him with his plans as he believes the youngster is a versatile player who can fill several roles at Barca.

With all that in mind, Sport note that he's much closer to Barcelona than Real Madrid, which in turn would effectively rule Liverpool out of the running with The Mirror noting that Jurgen Klopp was also keen to snap him up this summer.

Klopp has had his troubles at left-back with Alberto Moreno failing to make the position his own, forcing James Milner to fill the unnatural role this season. Moving forward, despite his commendable job in that position, Klopp needs a fully-fledged left-back in the long-term but it doesn't look as though Hernandez is the man for the job.