According to latest rumors doing the rounds, Liverpool are all set to make yet another raid on Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy in a bid to sign South Korean sensation Seung-Woo Lee. The 16-year-old is regarded as one of the most exciting prospects currently in the Barca youth system and Liverpool are supposedly looking to sign the starlet in a bid to improve their own production line.
Scouting Seung-Woo Lee:
Lee first came to the notice of the Barcelona scouts in 2010 when he impressed them with his performances in the Danone Cup in South Africa, going on to become the top scorer with 12 goals. He eventually joined the ranks at La Masia the following year, along with fellow countryman Jang Gyeol-Hee, scoring 38 goals along with 18 assists in just 29 games in his first season with Barcelona Infantil A (U-14 side).
Lee has outgrown his competition at the U-14 (Infantil A) and U-15 (Cadete B) levels and now represents the U-16 side(Cadete A). He has been described by Barca TV journalist Jaume Marcet as “a striker with a midfielder’s soul” due to his ability to breeze past defenders with ease, get into goal scoring positions and set up teammates at will. Lee is often willing to drop deep into midfield during games in order to link up with teammates and drive the ball forwards with his exceptional dribbling and close control.
Despite all the talent, Lee has been involved in some controversy as he and a few other internationals were banned by FIFA from participating in official competitions for Barcelona due to complaints from an “unnamed club”. FIFA laws prevent club’s from signing international footballers under the age of 18 and Barca are said to be in violation of this, even though the Catalans have stated that it was the Korean FA that offered Lee, and two other footballers Paik and Jang to the club.
While the issue is yet to be solved, Lee and the others have continued their progress in Catalunya after overcoming initial problems with the language barrier. That Barca clearly value Lee is clear from the fact that they are willing to fight this matter out and are waiting for the player to turn 16 before offering him a contract at the club.
In fact, according a report, Barca have supposedly agreed a deal with the South Korean prodigy to sign a professional contract when he turns 18. Seung-Woo Lee had the freedom to choose whichever team he wanted for his first professional contract and he reportedly had offers from both Liverpool and Chelsea. A move to the Premier League would have possibly seen a four-fold increase in earnings, but the player and his family are said to have decided that La Masia is the best place for continuing his development.