Barcelona and Real Madrid chase teenage wonderkid you WON’T have heard of

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FC Tokyo’s 17-year-old Takefusa Kubo – known as ‘Take’ – is a transfer target for major European clubs this summer

Spain’s top two clubs could be locked in a transfer battle for a teenage superstar currently lighting up the Japanese league.

Takefusa Kubo, 17, is expected to leave club FC Tokyo – where he became J1 league’s youngest ever player when he made his debut aged 15 – at the end of the season.

Now a number of Europe’s top clubs hope to land the attacking midfielder, nicknamed ‘the Japanese Messi’, when he turns 18 this summer.

According to Spanish paper Marca, Barcelona and Real Madrid lead the chase for the player, known as Take, with French side Paris Saint-Germain also interested.

Barca have previously been landed in trouble for their attempts to secure Take’s services.

The Catalonians first signed the player as a 10-year-old in 2011, and his case was among those deemed by FIFA to be illegal tapping-up of under-18s that led to Barcelona’s transfer ban in 2015.

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Conor Pope
Conor Pope
Online Editor

Conor Pope is the former Online Editor of FourFourTwo, overseeing all digital content. He plays football regularly, and has a large, discerning and ever-growing collection of football shirts from around the world.

He supports Blackburn Rovers and holds a season ticket with south London non-league side Dulwich Hamlet. His main football passions include Tugay, the San Siro and only using a winter ball when it snows.