da premier bet： Spain have now joined the tug of war to convince Barcelona goalkeeper to pledge his international allegiance to them.

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Keeper Kochen impressing at BarcelonaYet to commit his allegiance to a countrySpain now register interest in teenagerGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Kochen was born in Florida and has only represented the United States at youth levels. However, the teenager is eligible for Venezuela through his father and Peru through his mother and now Spain have entered the mix. According to the Spanish government, nationals of Latin American countries need only to reside in Spain for two years before they can acquire Spanish citizenship…

AdvertisementGettyWHAT FRANCIS HERNANDEZ SAID

In an interview with Spanish publication Marca, Francis Hernandez, Spain's co-ordinator of youth national teams, said: "We’ve told him [Kochen] about what he can find here. There are players who have never been with us to see what it’s like, but they have information. They can also learn from their club teammates."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The 17-year-old, who is highly-rated by manager Xavi, is seen as one of Barcelona's next academy gems after making his senior debut for the Spanish giants in a friendly match against Club America in December. He appears to have all the assets one would need to reach the top of the game but which country the youngster plays for remains to be seen.

WHAT NEXT?

The 6ft 2in stopper, who joined Barca in July 2019, will hope to get more game time in Xavi's team, although Marc-Andre ter Stegen is firmly first choice at the Catalan outfit. It will just be a case of wait and see over which country he chooses to pledge his allegiance with.