Jorge Salinas, 19, has impressed for Racing Santander in a season that ended with the Cantabrian club's promotion to LaLiga.
Salinas has spent most of the campaign playing as a left-back, despite having been developed as a central defender during his youth career, and Barcelona view the conversion as evidence of his adaptability.
The defender's contract situation has created a complication. Salinas played the season registered with Racing's reserve side, where his release clause stood at €4m, but Racing argue that his extensive first-team involvement means he should be treated as a first-team player, which would raise the figure to €8m. From 1 July, that clause is set to rise automatically to €16m.
Agent Jorge Mendes visited Santander last week, taking advantage of a youth tournament involving his son to advance discussions over the player's future.
Barcelona are hoping to close a deal in the coming days, with a fee in the region of €4m to €8m under discussion, alongside a loan arrangement that would allow Salinas to continue playing first-team football in LaLiga next season rather than moving straight into Barcelona's squad.
The move comes as Barcelona's recruitment department balances a difficult market for first-team reinforcements — with a new striker and the return of Joao Cancelo among the priorities — against a longer-term strategy of identifying domestic young talent before prices escalate further.
Salinas would represent the type of below-market value acquisition Barcelona have increasingly targeted in recent transfer windows, with the loan structure allowing the club to develop the player further before any potential involvement with the first team.
The defender's situation mirrors a wider trend at Barcelona under Deco, who has prioritised securing promising Spanish talent at lower fees before their value rises sharply once they establish themselves at a higher level, rather than competing for already-proven first-team players at inflated prices in a difficult market.