White Hart Lane and Goodison Park sides lead race for Barcelona teenager.
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Tottenham and Everton are the current favourites to land in-demand Barcelona youngster Gerard Deulofeu on a season-long loan, according to the Daily Mail.
The 19-year old winger recently signed a new 4-year contract at Barcelona, following an impressive season in the Segunda division with the B team, scoring 18 goals in 33 appearances, and has attracted the interest of some of Europe’s top clubs including Arsenal, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund, but its Spurs and Everton who are leading the chase for the tricky forward.
The Spanish giants have recently confirmed the signing of long-term target Neymar from Santos, and the Brazilian has pushed Deulofeu further down the current Barcelona pecking order, behind fellow Spaniards Pedro and Christian Tello, along with Alexis Sanchez.
Tottenham are preparing for the potential exit of Gareth Bale with their interest in Deulofeu, who would slot in straight away on the left-hand side, and even if Spurs manage to keep their star man Bale, Deulofeu has the position versatility to play on the right-hand side, competing with Aaron Lennon for a starting spot. The England international winger suffers frequent injury problems, so Deulofeu would llike his chances of seeing more regular game time.
New Everton boss Roberto Martinez is returning to his homeland for Deulofeu, and are looking for more attacking options in the final third of the pitch, to pair alongside Steven Pienaar and Kevin Mirallas. The Barcelona product is currently away with the U20 World Cup squad, where he has been hugely impressive this far, bagging a brace in their opening match against the USA.