Liverpool tipped to activate €50m release clause of Barcelona wonderkid Gavi

Liverpool are said to be among several top European clubs who are considering triggering Gavi's €50m release clause.

The 17-year-old midfielder's emergence as a first-teamer has been a rare bright spot in Barcelona's season. Gavi has made 19 appearances for the club so far, also becoming Spain's youngest international debutant back in October.

However, with Barça in financial disarray, the young midfielder could be forced to leave Camp Nou as they look to balance the books and bring in experience and quality to a side who have already crashed out of the Champions League, in addition to being a whopping 16 points behind Real Madrid in La Liga.

Indeed, El Nacional claim that Gavi's attractive €50m release clause is garnering interest from not only Chelsea and Bayern Munich, but also Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool - and the report has even tipped the Reds to activate it after 'extending a hand out' to the young Spaniard.

Needless to say, Gavi is one of a number of young prospects who Barcelona would prefer to keep hold of - as the club remain committed to producing and playing graduates from their famed La Masia academy - though the decision is ultimately out of their hands.

It's rumoured that Frenkie de Jong, Sergino Dest and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are among the established first team players Barça would be happy to do business over, in addition to Philippe Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti - who have long been on the market as the club look to reduce their enormous wage bill.

Despite the need for players to leave, president Joan Laporta has publicly insisted that new manager Xavi will be allowed to strengthen the club's squad in January - a promise he delivered in the wake of their exit from Europe, which yielded a pitiful two goals from six group games.

"The problem is that we have inherited some inflated contracts which don't give us margin with the wage cap. We're working to find a formula to improve the team this winter. We're working to do it, and we will achieve it," Laporta told the club's social media channels.

As for Xavi, his team selections since taking charge would suggest that he already sees Gavi as an integral part of his plans - and there's no guarantee that the teenager, despite the clause in his contract, would want to abandon the club he's been at since the age of 11.

For more from Matt O’Connor-Simpson, follow him on Twitter!