Barcelona concerned 17-year-old prodigy could go down the Pedri path amid Spain call-up talks

Pau Cubarsi is the latest La Masia prodigy to force his way through into the Barcelona first-team setup and become a regular under Xavi Hernandez.

Just a couple of months after making his debut, the 17-year-old defender has become a reliable player for the senior team and has been excelling at the biggest stage despite his age and lack of experience.

As such, Cubarsi’s explosion has not gone unnoticed with the Spanish national team keeping a close eye on the young defender. In fact, it is expected that the teenager will be called up by Luis de la Fuente for the upcoming international break this month.

On top of that, it is not ruled out that Cubarsi might be in the picture for the UEFA Euro 2024 and the Olympics later this year.

Barcelona keen to avoid another Pedri situation

While Cubarsi’s growth and progression has made a big impression at Barcelona, the possibility of him being called up to the Spanish senior national team at this juncture has raised some concerns, reports SPORT.

The cases of Pedri, who is still paying the consequences of having been squeezed by the Spanish Federation back in 2021, or that of Gavi, who was seriously injured in an inconsequential match that he should never have played, cause a lot of concern.

A Spain call-up on the horizon. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

As such, when the time comes, both the RFEF and Barça would be willing to reach a meeting point in which everyone feels satisfied and, above all, the absolute priority is to take care of the footballer.

Everything depends on Cubarsi’s progression

The report adds that it was not in Spain manager Luis de la Fuente’s plans to count on Cubarsi for the senior team at this stage, but his explosion has changed things.

Ideally, Cubarsi’s next step would be to be in the next list of the Spain U-21, the first step to reach La Roja. But it cannot be ruled out that his name will be in the senior squad on Friday.

However, sources from RFEF also suggest that everything will depend on the player’s ability to maintain the level shown until the end of the season, for him to be considered for the summer’s tournament.