Barcelona’s scouts are moving. The players they like are not.
Two of the most closely watched young names on the Catalan club’s radar – Kosovan striker Vesnik Aslani and Croatian defender Luka Vuskovic – are keeping the shutters firmly down on any talk of a move to Camp Nou until this season is over.
For now, they insist, the future can wait.
Aslani scores, sidesteps the noise
Aslani’s stance came into sharp focus at the weekend. The 23‑year‑old forward found the net in Hoffenheim’s 2–1 defeat to Mainz in the Bundesliga, another reminder of why big clubs, Barcelona among them, have circled his name.
Ten goals and six assists this season have turned him into one of the campaign’s standout performers. The numbers speak loudly; the player refuses to.
Asked about his future after the game, Aslani pushed the conversation back to the pitch, in comments carried by Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo.
“I can only influence what happens on the pitch; I strive to give my best performance and help the team, whether by scoring goals, creating them or anything else,” he said, underlining where his priorities lie in the middle of a crucial run-in for Hoffenheim.
He did not stop there. The speculation, he made clear, will not drag him away from the job in front of him.
“Regardless of anything else, I give my all for the team. What happens off the pitch doesn’t worry me; everyone talks and talks. As I said before, I can only influence what happens on the pitch.”
The message echoed a familiar refrain from his time at Elfsborg, when interest already swirled around him.
“Last season, when I was still at Elfsborg, the situation was similar. I always used to say: ‘Leave me alone, let me play football, let me enjoy myself,’ and that is exactly what I’m doing this season as well. In the end, we’ll see what happens.”
For Barcelona, that “we’ll see” keeps the door ajar. For Aslani, it stays firmly closed until the final whistle of the season.
Vuskovic looks long, tied to Tottenham
On the defensive side of Barça’s wishlist sits Luka Vuskovic, currently on loan at Hamburg and already viewed as one of Croatia’s most intriguing young centre-backs.
At 19, he carries the blend of potential and pedigree that appeals in Barcelona’s recruitment model. Yet he, too, is in no rush to script the next chapter.
Speaking to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung this week, Vuskovic acknowledged the unpredictability of the market but anchored his words in the reality of his contract.
“In the world of football, nothing is certain; it could happen next year or in ten years’ time. I don’t want to promise anyone anything. After this season, I’ll be back as a Tottenham player; I have a contract there until 2030.”
It was a clear reminder: any club, Barcelona included, will have to navigate not only the player’s wishes but also a long-term deal with Tottenham Hotspur.
Barça’s bigger summer picture
The Catalan club’s interest in Aslani and Vuskovic is real, yet they are not at the top of the summer agenda.
Inside the corridors of power at Barcelona, the conversation is dominated by two established names: Argentine forward Julián Álvarez, 26, and Italian centre-back Alessandro Bastoni, also 26. Strengthening the attack and the heart of the defence remains the priority, with both players viewed as immediate, title-shaping reinforcements rather than long-term projects.
So the situation is clear. Barcelona are watching. The young talents are waiting. The market will move when the season stops.
Until then, Vesnik Aslani and Luka Vuskovic have made their choice: points, not promises.
