Barça scouts watch Rajkovic, the Valerenga teen breaking records

The striker the Barça are monitoring

FC Barcelona keeps a close eye on young prospects, and Mundo Deportivo—citing Norwegian broadcaster TV2—reports that Barça scouts have been watching Gabriel Rajkovic, a 15-year-old striker at Valerenga.

The focus fits with what the club has outlined internally: sporting director Deco admitted in an assembly that the goal is to track the market carefully, aiming to sign future-facing players without paying big transfer fees.

The match and the key record

According to TV2, Barça’s staff would have travelled to see Rajkovic live in the match against Bodø/Glimt on August 8. In that game, he scored his first professional goal at 15 years, 5 months and 15 days, even though his team lost 1-2. That strike made him the youngest scorer in the history of Norway’s Eliteserien.

The article adds context by comparing it with Erling Haaland’s first goal: Haaland scored for Molde at 17 years and 16 days.

Where things stand

Born February 23, 2011 in Oslo, Rajkovic has also scored again in a 2-2 draw versus Sarpsborg. Despite his age, he has already appeared in 14 first-team matches for Valerenga and is noted for his physical presence (1.87 m).

Premier League clubs such as Arsenal and Chelsea reportedly also track him, but the article says they can’t sign him until he reaches adulthood due to Brexit rules. Barça’s advantage, per Mundo Deportivo, is that they could move when he turns 16 thanks to his EU status. For now, the news is surveillance rather than an agreement.