Barcelona offload dubbed 'German Messi' but keep right of first refusal

Back in August 2023, Barcelona surprised fans with the signing of Noah Darvich.

At that time, aged 16 and just over a month away from his 17th birthday, the German was unknown to the wider public, although his talent had not gone unnoticed by scouts from Europe's top clubs, who considered him one of German football's brightest prospects.

The 'Azulgranas' beat off competition from Premier League teams and Bayern Munich themselves, who tend to hoover up all German talent, and snapped up the midfielder from Freiburg for 2.5 million euros.

With a contract until 2026 and a release clause of 1 billion euros, Barcelona secured the signing of who many considered to be the 'German Messi'.

Darvich joined the club's youth ranks and his high level of performance with Germany (he was one of the key players who won the Under-17 World Cup in 2023) suggested a meteoric rise to the top.

However, the decline of the Barcelona B team in the last two seasons (including relegation to the fourth tier) has prevented him from shining, and he even lacked minutes of play (only 1,469 in two seasons).

Despite everything, his talent did not go unnoticed in the summer of 2024 by Hansi Flick, who included him during pre-season and later called him during the season always being an unused player.

This was an insufficient reward for an 18-year-old player eager to prove his worth. Barcelona announced his transfer to Stuttgart, a club that in recent years has been able to sign a lot of young talent and develop it.

Without official information about the transfer, reports suggest that his departure has been completed for a much lower price than the 2.5 million euros paid by the 'Azulgranas' two years ago.

A decision that makes sense from the point of view of trust, as Barcelona still believe in him. The Catalan club have managed to include a percentage of a future sale in the agreement and, most importantly, a right of first refusal for the future.

The talent and potential are there and Barcelona, aware that a reserve team in the fourth tier is not the best place to grow, are now letting Darvich leave.