This is thought to be his release clause, and as a result, the Argentine side is unable to prevent his possible departure.
The 19-year-old full-back has reportedly drawn interest from several English teams recently, including Premier League powerhouse Manchester City.
The Sun claimed that Pep Guardiola’s team was nearing a deal for the teenager. The Citizens then intended to loan him to Leicester City, the top-ranked team in the second division, who play in the Championship.
However, it appears that Brighton will provide fierce competition. Given their recent success in the South American market and the fact that Moises Caicedo thrived at the Amex Stadium before being sold to Chelsea for a huge sum during the previous window, the Seagulls’ interest is not surprising.
Leicester will undoubtedly have less chance of signing Barco if he does wind up on the south coast.
There aren’t many full-back options available to Enzo Maresca because Luke Thomas is currently on loan at Sheffield United.
James Justin can play either side, which is fortunate for Maresca, but the only other obvious options in that position are Ricardo Pereira and Callum Doyle.
The Foxes manager’s system is complicated enough without players playing in positions they shouldn’t be in, even though some first-team players could fill the full-back spots by operating out of position.
And it appears that they will require a fresh face in this domain come January in order to provide them with sufficient depth in their pursuit of returning to the top flight on their first attempt.
Given his versatility, Justin’s signing by the Foxes will not affect whether they select a left- or right-back. They will be able to target a larger number of players as a result before compiling a shortlist.
After signing four players on loan in the summer, Leicester has room in their matchday squad for one more, so Barco might be the best candidate to enter.
Barco wouldn’t be a long-term addition for the Foxes, though, as City will want to watch him develop following his stint at the King Power Stadium. The team must plan for the long run.
Furthermore, Barco’s arrival might limit Doyle’s playing time, which wouldn’t be good for Leicester given that Doyle might end up being a useful long-term addition.
Even though Doyle is currently only on loan, if everything goes according to plan, both the player and Leicester may be interested in a permanent transfer at the end of the current campaign.
He could play center back, but that would require them to bench one of their starting center backs. Barco’s arrival could cause discord because, should he sign a loan to Leicester, the Boca Juniors full-back would probably want to start each and every week.
It would be best to bring in a permanent addition who is more likely to be content with a bench spot. They might not succeed in their promotion quest if they hire a starting full-back in the middle of the season, rocking the boat.
In light of this, Maresca and his group might benefit if Brighton ends up winning the race for Barco.
Although Barco might be useful to the Foxes, it wouldn’t be catastrophic if they couldn’t get him in.
