Barcelona remain highly attentive to the African market in an effort to gain an advantage in talent recruitment.
To that end, they signed a collaboration agreement with the Africa Foot academy, through which they brought in Malian winger Ibrahim Diarra, who will play for the reserve team after starring for Juvenil A last season.
Barcelona closing in on two more African pearls
Now, according to SPORT, Barcelona are on the verge of signing two more talented youngsters from Mali – Aboubacar Maiga and Moustapha Traore.
The African duo have already received approval from the club’s scouts to spend several months on trial, with the intention of securing them on long-term deals.
Both are considered among the brightest prospects in Malian football and are being followed by other clubs.
Aboubacar Maiga is currently the profile that best fits Barcelona’s needs. He is a highly technical playmaking midfielder with exceptional skills. Creative, with great vision, he could adapt well to the defensive midfield role.
The club’s coaches have been monitoring his development for months and believe he could be a very promising player.
Moustapha Traore is a quick winger with strong one-on-one dribbling and accurate crossing. Coaches at the academy highlight his technical ability and potential for growth, although he needs to improve his goal-scoring record.
He is a powerful, skilful player with similarities to Ibrahim Diarra, who has already made a very positive impression at Barcelona in the short time since his signing.
What’s the plan?
The plan, as with Ibrahim Diarra, is to bring Maiga and Traore in to train with Barcelona’s youth team so they can adapt to European football.
If they adjust well to the game and Barcelona’s style, the club would sign them upon turning 18, allowing them to continue their development at the Catalan side.
For now, these would be the only two African players added to the youth system for this season, although the search for more talent will continue.