Moves confirmed as two 17-year-old Malian talents join Barcelona

The Africa Foot Academy have confirmed the moves of two of their brighter talents to Barcelona. Ibrahim Diarra, the star performer in the Mali under-17 side, has long been linked with a move to the Catalan giants, but will be joined by Arouna Traore.

Diarra, a right-winger who can also play in behind the striker, has been highly rated by the club, and Sport say that they have paid €1.5m for the teenage talent. He has already been at the Ciutat Esportiva recently, but will only be able to play from January onwards.

Ibrahim Diarra à Barcelone !
Le talent d’Africa Foot brille à l’international ! Ibrahim Diarra rejoint le @FCBarcelona pour un séjour sportif exceptionnel dans le cadre de notre partenariat. Une belle opportunité pour progresser au plus haut niveau ! #AfricaFoot #FCBarcelone pic.twitter.com/SFKntbqWdu

— Academie Africa Foot (@AfricaFootMali1) November 20, 2024

The other 17-year-old talent, Traore, is a striker, and will arrive initially on a trial period. Their moves can only be made official once they turn 18 according to FIFA regulations, but Traore will only do so next November. Diarra on the other hand comes of age in December.

Arouna Traoré s’envole pour Barcelone !
Dans le cadre de notre partenariat avec le @FCBarcelona, Arouna Traoré aura la chance d’effectuer un séjour sportif au sein du mythique club catalan. Une expérience enrichissante pour grandir en tant que joueur ! #AfricaFoot #FCBarcelone pic.twitter.com/nwKsmeUGbL

— Academie Africa Foot (@AfricaFootMali1) November 20, 2024

With Diarra too, as happened with Ghanaian left-back David Oduro as well, Barcelona brought them in for trial periods ahead of time, before then signing them several months later. Aziz Issah also arrived from Ghana, reflecting Barcelona’s intention to put more resources into recruitment in Africa.

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