Barcelona target Yuri Alberto set for Internacional exit, says his agent

Rio de Janeiro, Dec 23 (IANS) Highly-rated forward Yuri Alberto is being sought by at least three major European clubs and is likely to leave Brazil's Internacional in the coming months, his representative has said.

The 20-year-old has been linked with Barcelona, Liverpool, and AC Milan, as well as Copa Libertadores champions Palmeiras, after scoring 19 goals for Internacional this year.

"He has attracted the interest of all of those clubs and others too," agent Andre Cury said in an interview broadcast on social media on Wednesday.

"I would say that it will be very difficult [for Internacional] to hold onto Yuri Alberto after the July transfer window. The European market will improve after three or four windows without much movement. But I also don't see a problem with him moving to a Brazilian club if the price is right."

According to Spanish media reports, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has identified Alberto as a possible January transfer target following the retirement of Sergio Aguero and injuries to Martin Braithwaite and Ansu Fati, reports Xinhua.

Internacional are understood to be willing to accept a 12 million-euro transfer fee (around 14 million U.S. dollars) for Alberto, who is contracted to the Porto Alegre club until July 2025.