Micky Van de Ven has been outstanding for Tottenham Hotspur since joining the club in the summer of 2023, but he was close to joining Barcelona before that.
According to former Barcelona scout Bojan Krkic Sr, Barcelona had the opportunity to sign the Dutch international defender for a fee of just €3.5 million. Bojan Krkic Sr was reportedly impressed with the Dutch defender’s performances and urged the Spanish club to sign him up.
However, Barcelona were not quick to react and the defender ended up moving to another club. Van de Ven was playing for FC Volendam when the former Barcelona scout urged the Spanish club to secure his signature.
The defender would have been available for a fee of just €3.5 million back then.
He said via Carrusel Deportivo: “He was faster than Mbappé. I called them and insisted on Barcelona, because we had him for €3.5m. It was not executed in the end”.
‼️📢 Las conversaciones entre bambalinas de #elBar103 desvelan que el @FCBarcelona estuvo CERCA de firmar a Micky van de Ven
— Carrusel Deportivo (@carrusel) October 15, 2024
👉 Bojan Krkic Sr.: “Era más rápido que Mbappé. Les llamé e insistí en Barcelona, porque le teníamos por 3 millones y medio. No se ejecutó al final…” pic.twitter.com/on3GZIc3v3
The 23-year-old has established himself as one of the best central defenders in the Premier League right now, and he could have been a key player for Barcelona as well. Apart from his defensive quality, his recovery pace and ability to influence the game in the attack have made him an asset for the North London club.
Van de Ven has shown that he can drive forward with the ball and create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Furthermore, his impressive recovery pace has allowed Spurs to operate a high defensive line.
He is an indispensable asset for the North London club now and he will look to improve further and establish himself as a key player for his country as well. Tottenham will certainly be delighted to have secured his signature in 2023 and Barcelona will be regretting their decision to pass up on him.
