Konrad de la Fuente is close to signing a new contract with Barcelona after a drawn out negotiation process.

The 18-year-old looked likely to leave the club for Hertha Berlin, where he would have been fast-tracked to the side's first team.

De la Fuente will now be promoted from Barcelona's U19s to the B team. 

The New York Red Bulls have named Kevin Thelwell the club's Head of Sport in a newly created position.

Thelwell most recently was the sporting director of Wolverhampton.

During his tenure, Wolves moved from League One to a 7th place finish in the Premier League.

“On behalf of everyone at the organization, I’d like to welcome Kevin to our club. Kevin has a tremendous resume and demonstrated experience helping a club attain new levels of success with Wolverhampton. He is well respected within the international soccer community and fits well within our culture. This is a welcome addition as we continue our pursuit of delivering the MLS Cup to our fans," said Red Bulls General Manager Marc de Grandpre