Ben Woodburn has cemented his place in the Liverpool first-team this season and also made his debut on the international stage with Wales.
The Reds are reportedly keen to secure the 18-year-old’s long-term future and are in the process of offering him a new deal.
However, Spanish outlet Don Balon claim they could face stiff competition for his signature from Barcelona.
The report says the Catalan side have been watching the teenager intently and see him as a potential alternative to Philippe Coutinho.
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Ben Woodburn has also made is mark with Wales this year
Coutinho was the No 1 target for Barca over the summer but Liverpool were not willing to sell and have reportedly put a £160million price-tag on the Brazilian.
In light of this, the La Liga giants have begun to look elsewhere and have been impressed by Woodburn’s performances this term.
The forward previously caught the eye of scouts in Spain as a 12-year-old on a school-team tour of Barcelona.
And his former PE teacher Mark Lindley has claimed he knew he was destined for big things in the game, claiming he was an “exceptional talent”.
“I knew Ben when he was eight because of the school sports events we held and also because of my previous involvement at Liverpool’s academy,” Lindley told The Mirror.
“Even at that age, you could see he was something special, an exceptional talent.
“At school he played in central midfield and I remember he came on tour with us to Barcelona, aged 12.
“We were training with Espanyol and Barcelona and he didn’t look out of place.
“I remember the Espanyol coaches thought he was something special. They wanted to sign him.”
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