Japan youth international Jun Nishikawa said Friday he heard Barcelona were keen on signing him through friends but denied there had been any contact from the Spanish giants.
The 17-year-old attacking midfielder, who has represented Japan at the under-17 and under-20 World Cup, told local media his main focus was on nailing down a place at J-League club Cerezo Osaka.
“I read the news on my phone yesterday morning and my friends told me about it, but I didn’t think anything special,” insisted Nishikawa, who won’t become eligible to move overseas until he turns 18 next month, paving the way for a possible summer transfer. Kubo opted to join bitter rivals Real Madrid despite being invited to Barcelona’s youth academy as a scrawny nine-year-old where he earned his nickname for the mazy dribbling skills that made him a YouTube hit.
Manchester City, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain were also linked to Kubo, who has been loaned out to La Liga rivals Mallorca on a season-long loan by Madrid in order to gain experience.
Kubo marked his full Japan debut last June in a 2-0 friendly win over El Salvador, coming on as a second-half substitute for Takumi Minamino.