Barcelona continues its efforts to strengthen the midfield, as the website "CaughtOffside" revealed that the Catalan club is interested in signing Manchester United's young player Kobbie Mainoo in the upcoming period, to compensate for the absence of the injured Gavi.

According to the report, Barcelona is preparing to open official negotiations with Manchester United in the coming weeks to discuss the possibility of signing the 20-year-old player, who is seen as an ideal option to lead the midfield in the long term.

Mainoo has suffered from a lack of regular participation with Manchester United, and his name was linked with a departure last summer before he remained with the team, but the player's future is still up for discussion, especially with Barcelona's increasing interest.

The report also emphasized that Manchester United does not want to easily part with a player who is considered one of the club's most promising talents, as team legend Paul Scholes has previously described him as an exceptional player.

With Barcelona's desire to strengthen its squad and Manchester United's insistence on the future of one of its young stars, the fate of the deal remains dependent on the developments in negotiations in the upcoming period.