OFFICIAL: Barcelona announce signing of 17-year-old Mali midfielder Diarra

Barcelona have confirmed the much rumoured signing of Mali under-17 star Ibrahim Diarra. The 18-year-old has penned a deal until 2028 with the Blaugrana.

Diarra stood out as a midfielder for Mali at the under-17 World Cup in 2023, and having been on trial at the club before, has joined the club now. He will be part of their Barca Atletic side managed by Albert Sanchez. While the Blaugrana did not announce a transfer fee, previous reports say that he will set the Catalan club back €1.7m, which will go to Academy Africain Foot, where he came through.

The club point out his size, touch, power and versatility as some of his key attributes. Diarra is part of a conscious and obvious shift towards recruiting talent from the African continent at Barcelona, as they seek to get ahead of the rest of Europe’s elite. He follows Ghanaian left-back David Oduro through the door.