At 17, Lucas Bergvall is among Sweden's most promising football prodigies. He has decided to leave behind the realm of boys and join the league of men by agreeing a €10 million (£9m/$11m) deal with Tottenham Hotspur. Interestingly, Bergvall turned down an offer to join La Liga giants FC Barcelona to be part of the London club who are currently forth in the Premier League.
Here are 5 things to know about the Scandinavian wonderkid and his transfer saga that left Xavi's Barcelona embarassed.
1. The Stockholm native came through the youth academy of IF Brommapojkarna. Dejan Kulusevski, one of the most gifted players of current Swedish squad, is a former Brommapojkarna graduate. Interestingly, former Juventus winger Kulusevski currently plays for Spurs.
2. Bergvall had earlier decided to stay with Brommapojkarna, despite scouts from Turkey's Feyernoord came knocking. His presence ensured Brommapojkarna's promotion to the top-flight. It was then the Swedish giants Djurgardens offered him a contract in 2022. Though the €1 million contract was not much by European transfer standards, it was reportedly a record fee spent on a Swedish teenager.
3. Since the start of 2024, Bergvall was rumoured to make a switch. Manchester United and Eintracht Frankfurt were linked to the teenager before Barcelona entered the race. The Swede met Barca sporting director Deco in Spain before Spurs made a strong for themselves, The Goal said in a report.
4. However, media reports claim that his camp's meeting with Deco came after holding talks with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and coach Ange Postecoglou. He flew to London before landing in Catalonia, suspectably in an effort to compare the projects before making the final call.
5. However, the youngster will not start his life in England immediately. After undergoing a medical in north London, Bergvall will return to his homeland to spend the rest of the season with his current club Djurgarden. He will officially become a Tottenham player in the summer, The Goal explained.
