FC Barcelona aren't ruling out selling their reigning Golden Boy Gavi in the near future according to El Nacional.

The teenager snatched from Real Betis as an 11-year-old progressed from the La Masia academy to the first team under Ronald Koeman.

In the 2020/2021 preseason, he managed to push Riqui Puig out of the picture and has since inherited the number '6' jersey most famously donned by head coach Xavi Hernandez but left behind when Puig fled to the LA Galaxy.

Gavi has already scooped the Golden Boy award for Europe's best player under 21, seeing off competition from the likes of Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, and is an established Spain international who went to the World Cup in the winter.

In 2022/2023, he formed part of the Barca squad that lifted a first La Liga crown in four years, proving pivotal in a four-man midfield system Xavi shifted to after Qatar 2022 which had him deployed on the left flank as a false winger.

During a showing which sealed Xavi's maiden trophy since taking over from Koeman, Gavi was particularly impressive in the mentioned role when inspiring Barca to a Spanish Super Cup win over bitter rivals Madrid where he scored a goal and provided two assists in a 3-1 final win.

In preparations for the upcoming campaign, however, Gavi played no part in Barca's friendly tour of the U.S. owing to a back injury.

He will essentially have to fight for his place in the starting XI all over again, with Oriol Romeu and Frenkie de Jong forming a great defensive midfield partnership Stateside while Ilkay Gundogan is likely to accompany Pedri in the more attacking spaces.

Furthermore, there are La Masia talents such as his best friend and fellow Andalusian Fermin Lopez - the scorer of a fantastic goal against Madrid in a 3-0 win last Saturday - arriving from the horizon, plus 'top talent' Noah Darvich.

As reported by Fabrizio Romano and Mundo Deportivo on Friday, Barca appear to have beaten a string of top clubs including Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain to German wonderkid Darvich, who can play a number of positions in midfield and will cost them just €3 million ($3.3 million).

El Nacional suggests that if Gavi "fails to take that step forward" and win Xavi over again, he could be sacrificed in 2024 when Barca will probably need to make a big player sale to bring in fresh faces thanks to their economic woes.

As shown when his previous contract was nearing expiry, the 19-year-old has easily attracted interest from Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Liverpool which would surely be rekindled if he was put on the market.

When all is said and done, however, Gavi is still just a mere pup who has plenty of time on his hands while Gundogan and Romeu are well into their early 30s.

Once the duo has started winding down, there will be plenty of opportunities for Gavi to make his mark and retain prominence.

And furthermore, with Barca set to fight battles on domestic and continental fronts, minutes should always be up for grabs.