Official: Barcelona confirm Francisco Trincao capture

Barcelona have confirmed that they have secured the services of Trincao, who will join from SC Braga when the summer transfer window opens.

Barcelona have made an official statement to confirm that they have reached an agreement with SC Braga for the transfer of Francisco Trincao. The Portuguese youngster will join the reigning La Liga champions when the summer transfer window opens in July, with Braga entitled to receive €31 million in his exchange.

Trincao has been rated quite highly in Portugal for quite some time, having impressed across age levels for several years. The 20-year-old broke into the Braga first-team setup last season, but has enjoyed a proper breakthrough campaign this term.

So far this season, Trincao has made 22 appearances across all competitions, with a return of 3 goals and 6 assists to boot. His exploits have seen him draw comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo, with Barcelona following his progress over the course of this season.

Initial reports had suggested that Barcelona were prepared to launch the offensive for him with the January transfer window in mind. However, as per their confirmation, the Blaugrana have instead decided to hold off on his arrival at Camp Nou till the summer. In the meantime, Barcelona have reached an agreement with SC Braga over the summer transfer.

The Catalan giants will shell out €31 million in exchange for Trincao’s services, with the Portuguese forward then putting pen to paper on a five-year deal that will run through to the end of the 2024-25 season. Trincao will join Barceona when the summer transfer window opens on July 1, 2020 and his contract will also contain a release clause worth €500 million.

That the 20-year-old can play anywhere is a positive aspect of his game that could help him integrate into Quique Setien’s style of play easily. With Luis Suarez in the twilight of his career, he could be shaped as a long-term solution to lead the line for Barcelona. Alternatively, he could compete with Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele to play out wide.

Wherever he does end up playing is a discussion for when he formally arrives at Camp Nou in the summer. For now, it looks as if Barcelona have made an economical signing of a player who could be an asset for the first-team for years to come.