Official: Barcelona confirm 18-year-old African prodigy’s signing for reserve team

It has been known for a while, but FC Barcelona have now officially announced the signing of Malian midfield prodigy Ibrahim Diarra.

The versatile midfielder, who turned 18 years old earlier this month, will link up with the reserve team, Barça Atletic, with the club having very high hopes for him.

“FC Barcelona and the Africa Foot Academy have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player, Ibrahim Diarra, who joins Barça Atletic and signs a contract for the remainder of the season and three more, until June 30, 2028,” the club statement read.

“The official signing of his contract will be pending.”

✅ Incorporación de Ibrahim Diarra al Barça Atlètic

👏🏼 ¡Bienvenido!

📋 👉🏼 https://t.co/8ekZrCiA9f 👈🏼 pic.twitter.com/JzVJ9Vhzap

— Barça Atlètic (@FCBarcelonaB) December 17, 2024

Diarra’s signing has been in the works since last year after he impressed at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup with the Mali national team, where he scored five and assisted four goals captaining the team to fourth place.

After a successful trial, a deal to sign Diarra was struck in January itself, with the club’s financial documents suggesting that a transfer fee of €1.7 million was involved.

In fact, Diarra has already trained with the Barça reserves in the past, although he had suffered a minor injury setback.

Now, the deal has been officially confirmed, with the 18-year-old’s formal contract signing set to take place soon.