Santiago Gimenez‘s electric start to the season is not going unnoticed. Apart from making headlines, the Mexico international has reportedly drawn interest from European giants. According to ESPN, Barcelona are closely monitoring the Feyenoord striker.
Gimenez, 22, has been extremely prolific this term, with 15 goals in 12 appearances across all competitions. The report claims Barca have been following his progress since he moved to the Netherlands last year.
In the wake of his recent performances, the Catalan side is understood to have “intensified” its monitoring. But as exciting as this may sound for Mexico or Barcelona fans, maybe we should hold our horses for a little bit.
Despite their interest, Gimenez may not join Barca anytime soon
Barcelona keeping tabs on Gimenez makes perfect sense. He’s young, prolific, and could seek a move to one of the top five European leagues in the future. That said, there are many reasons why this move could wait.
The Cules still have Robert Lewandowski as their primary striker, and they’ve secured the signature of Brazilian youngster Vitor Roque not long ago. In the meantime, Xavi Hernandez has also operated with Joao Felix and Ferran Torres up front. In short, landing another striker is not priority for Barcelona right now.
Additionally, the club is over the salary cap in LaLiga, which prevents it from adding new players to its roster. On top of that, Feyenoord’s demands will probably be hard to satisy for Barca.
Santiago Gimenez’s stock is on the rise
Gimenez’s terrific form this season made an impact on his market value. According to the latest Transfermarkt update, the 22-year-old is worth €40 million. In June, he was valued at €25m.
SURVEY Would you like to see Santiago Gimenez at Barcelona?
Would you like to see Santiago Gimenez at Barcelona?
ALREADY VOTED 17 PEOPLE
His contract with Feyenoord runs through the 2026-27 campaign, which gives the Dutch club even more leverage to demand a high offer to let the forward go. Besides, the fact that there are not many strikers available on the market will only increase his price.
Gimenez already has 22 caps for the Mexican national team, having scored four international goals. He still has his entire career in front of him, but the future looks bright for the former Cruz Azul star.