Barça sound out Take Kubo

Xavi Hernández is a big fan Takefusa Kubo and would love to have the Japanese forward on board at Barcelona. The coach’s wish has prompted the club’s technical secretary to probe the possibilities of signing the player at a future date. Barcelona have consulted the footballer’s agent about his contractual situation at Real Sociedad and studied the ties he still maintains with Real Madrid to assess whether it would be feasible to take the next step in what would be a very complicated operation. The answer from San Sebastián was clear: Kubo is a Real Sociedad player for all intents and purposes. Real Madrid sold him to La Real for six million euros last summer and only reserved a right of first refusal and 50% of his economic rights. That is to say, in the event that a club decided to pay the 60 million euro release clause and the player accepted the offer, that money would be shared between Madrid and Real Sociedad with both clubs taking half.

Madrid focusing on other issues

Meanwhile, in Valdebebas, Madrid have not made a move yet and nor are they expected to. Work is underway on other fronts (Ceballos, Bellingham and even Brahim) rather than Kubo’s hypothetical return - even though his non-EU status would no longer be a problem now that Vinicius, Rodrygo and Militão have acquired Spanish nationality. If they wanted to recover Kubo, they would have to pay half of his clause or negotiate a price with Real Sociedad, a club with who Madrid has an excellent relationship. In any case, if Madrid did decide to bring Kubo back, they would have to pay a fee way higher than the six million euros they sold him for last year.

Barça are convinced that Kubo would be a great addition to the squad and have no doubt that he would seamlessly fit into the team’s style of play. Xavi has always liked him and that is why he has asked to investigate the possibility of signing him. Kubo started out in Barça’s youth academy and even then, he seemed a very different player, as he himself has publicly acknowledged. His move to Madrid was a blow to Barça. It hurt to lose a young talent who had been raised for more than three seasons in the lower categories of Barça. Kubo entered La Masia aged 10 but was forced to leave in 2015 as a result of the FIFA sanction for violating the international transfer policy for children under 18 years of age. He had to return to his homeland where, a few years later, Madrid edged ahead of the teenager’s suitors, including Barcelona, to sign him as soon as he turned 18.

All of Barça’s technical reports on him are positive: age (21 years), quality, physical capacity, speed, creativity and speed of execution. He has all of the qualities needed in a “Barça profile”. Take is aware of Barcelona’s interest because he still has contacts at the club from his time at La Masia. Xavi would love to reinforce the team with a player of his calibre but the operation is strewn with obstacles that are not easy to overcome. On the one hand, Take is happy in Donosti, he is totally integrated into the team and very grateful to Imanol and La Real president, Jokin Aperribay, who he pursued his signing for three seasons. Real Sociedad, as they did with Martin Ødegaard, is becoming an ideal habitat to rehabilitate and launch Real Madrid’s future projects. With four goals and two assists, the Japanese player is riding the crest of the wave and is in his prime as a professional player.

Barcelona need to sell

However, another problem facing Barcelona in their pursuit of Kubo is their economic limitations. Without selling big name players for large fees, it would be practically impossible for them to even try. The third stumbling block would be Real Madrid itself and whether they would be willing to accept a 30 million euro fee from Barça (with the risk of the player succeeding there) or negotiate Kubo’s return to the Bernabéu with Real Sociedad. In any case, the operation is still only in the embryonic phase and it will not be easy for it to prosper even if Xavi is clear that signing Kubo would be putting the finishing touch to a team that has radically changed the situation out on the pitch and excited the fans.