Xavi Simons is a name that every Barcelona fan will already be very familiar with, despite the fact he’s only 16 years old and hasn’t played for the club’s first team yet.The teenager has been a star of Barça’s youth teams over the past few years and is instantly recognisable thanks to his Carlos Valderrama-esque hairstyle.A Dutch international at youth level, the technically-gifted midfielder has been compared to both Xavi and Andres Iniesta. Praise doesn’t come any higher.Simons has been widely regarded as Barça’s biggest hope for a while now, hence why his agent is the infamous Mino Raiola."Xavi Simons is a great player, young, with potential and a big future. We're good friends,” Raiola said when Simons was 14.
- Huddersfield unveil world's worst kit
- Mesut Ozil compared to Megan Rapinoe
- Aliens found more likely than Arsenal winning PL
"Am I his advisor? It's better to be a friend than an advisor, believe me. Honestly, I am friends with all the players that I represent."
Simons also boasts a massive 1.6 million followers on Instagram and, according to Marca, has his own dedicated social media team that handles his online presence.
He’s far from your average teenage footballer.
However, Raiola’s involvement in Simons’ career could be terrible news for Barça, who are now in serious danger of losing their brightest young talent.
Mundo Deportivo understand that Simons has not renewed his contract with Barcelona, unlike his fellow Barcelona Juvenil B teammates.
Barça obviously want Simons to continue playing for their club but will not offer him more money than his current youth teammates are earning.
Raiola’s demands are making talks difficult and, with other offers on the table from top European clubs, Barça want to negotiate with the Dutch midfielder’s father instead.
His father is Regillio Simons, a former Dutch striker who coached young players at Ajax between 2013-2017.
Barça are more confident that an agreement will be reached if they negotiate with Simons’ dad, although anything is possible with Raiola on the scene.
Paris Saint-Germain are apparently one of the clubs keen on securing his services.
The French champions obviously have the money available to tempt Simons to the Parc des Princes, so watch this space.