Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen announce signing of Barcelona starlet

German champions Bayer Leverkusen have on Wednesday announced the signing of a highly-regarded up-and-coming talent from Barcelona.

The player in question? Andrea Natali.

Natali, for his part, is a 16-year-old central defender, who has long been considered as a potential star in the making.

The Italian – fresh off playing a starring role for the Azzurri en route to glory at the U17 European Championships – had been on the books of Barcelona since the summer of 2021.

This came after Natali opted to make the short trip across Catalunya from Espanyol.

Recent weeks, however, had seen speculation begun to mount that the stopper had set his sights on a new adventure.

Specifically, Natali was tipped to take his talents to Germany, to continue his development on the books of recently-crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

And, as alluded to above, on Wednesday, precisely as much has been confirmed.

As per a statement across Leverkusen’s website and social media platforms:

‘Bayer 04 Leverkusen has signed Italian central defender Andrea Natali. The 16-year-old youth international is moving from FC Barcelona’s U18s, where he signed a contract valid until June 30, 2027.’

Conor Laird | GSFN