Barcelona are increasingly scouring Scandinavia for the best youngsters, and they appear to have found another gem out in Norway.
The Spanish giants have had scouts watch 15-year-old Vålerenga sensation Gabriel Rajkovic, who has already surpassed Erling Haaland's age for a first top-flight goal in Norway, as per Mundo Deportivo.
A key cornerstone in the sporting plan for Barcelona is to secure world-class talent before competition leads to an explosion in their price.
They are indeed keeping close tabs on Rajkovic, who has taken Scandinavia by storm, shattering longstanding age benchmarks set by Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard to become the youngest debutant and goalscorer in Eliteserien history.
Who Is Gabriel Rajkovic? The 15-Year-Old Valerenga Prodigy
Born in February 2011, Gabriel Larsen Rajkovic stands at around 1.87m tall, enabling him to play as a winger or striker in men's football.
The youngster was born to a Norwegian mother and a Serbian father, and began his journey to professional football at Nordstrand in 2017, where he joined in first-team training for the first time as a 13-year-old.
He left Nordstrand for KFUM Oslo in 2024, and was snapped up by Vålerenga one year later to play for their academy.
Rajkovic impressed greatly after he joined Vålerenga, leading the club to swiftly promote him to their first-team environment when he was only 14 years old in January 2026.
On 30th January, he scored on his unofficial debut for the club in a pre-season friendly, announcing himself as a serious talent.
Vålerenga moved quickly and handed him a professional contract days after he turned 15, signing him until 2029.
At 15 years and 20 days old, he made his professional debut in Eliteserien, breaking Martin Ødegaard's record to become the youngest player in the history of the competition.
On August 8, Rajkovic scored his first senior goal against Bodø/Glimt at 15 years and 166 days old, making him Vålerenga's youngest Eliteserien goalscorer and the second-youngest scorer in the competition's history.
For comparison, Erling Haaland did not score a top-flight goal in Norway until he was 17 years and 16 days old.
Rajkovic has represented Norway at youth level and was included in the country's U-16 squad for the Istria Youth Cup in September.
Far from a static target man, the teenager exhibits rare tactical versatility, comfortably drifting onto either wing to isolate defenders in 1-v-1 situations.
Why Barcelona Are Monitoring Gabriel Rajkovic
The name of Gabriel Rajkovic and his exploits were no secret as he began to make waves in Norway, and several clubs became interested.
One such club is Barcelona, with Mundo Deportivo reporting that Barca scouts were in attendance as Rajkovic opened his account for Vålerenga against Bodø/Glimt in August.
The Catalan giants will be hoping their current scouting work in Scandinavia helps them identify young talent before they become established at bigger European clubs.
They have had scouts in attendance earlier this season, as well, as Norwegian youngster Bo Hegland has been tearing up the Allsvenskan in Sweden.
Under Deco, the club has continued to invest in scouting and recruiting young talent, with the likes of Hamza Abdelkarim, Dany Freire, Jesse Bisiwu, and Mikael Baza, among others, joining them this summer.
They have also been strongly linked with 15-year-old JJ Gabriel from Manchester United, and will continue to target quality young players.
Why Brexit Rules Could Give Barcelona an Advantage in Rajkovic Pursuit
Barcelona could have an advantage over Premier League clubs because FIFA's rules restrict international transfers of players under 18, subject to specific exceptions.
Under the current rules, an English club would generally be unable to sign Rajkovic internationally before he turns 18, unless a relevant FIFA exception applied.
This could give Barcelona an earlier route to recruiting Rajkovic because he is Norwegian and therefore falls within the EU/EEA framework relevant to FIFA's minor-transfer rules.
Rajkovic remains with Vålerenga, while interest in his development continues to grow.
Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are among the clubs reported to have monitored the Norwegian prodigy.
What Young Players Can Learn From Gabriel Rajkovic's Rise
Rajkovic's early senior involvement shows the value of combining technical development with the physical preparation needed for adult football.
His ability to operate in different roles also highlights the value of tactical adaptability for young players moving towards senior football. The ability to play in multiple positions/roles expands a young player's tactical value to senior managers.
Young players can also learn from Rajkovic's rise to remain focused on their development while transfer speculation grows around them.
