Barcelona’s plans to sign two African teenage talents in jeopardy – report

Barcelona have intensified their efforts to identify and sign young players from the African continent as part of their new transfer strategy in the past couple of years.

This move has already seen the Blaugrana rope in players like Mika Faye, Mamadou Mbacke, David Oduro, and most recently Ibrahim Diarra.

Two deals in jeopardy

However, according to Toni Juanmarti of SPORT, Barcelona’s plans to sign Malick Cisse and Mouhamed Dabo, two promising 17-year-old African talents, are now at risk.

Back in November last year, Cisse, an attacking midfielder, and Dabo, a defensive midfielder, both from Senegal, spent a few weeks on trial at Barça, training with the club’s Juvenil B outfit.

Of the two, Cisse generated the most interest due to his attacking potential. However, as both players are under 18, FIFA regulations prevented an immediate transfer to the Catalan club.

As such, Barcelona’s plan was to secure a verbal agreement with their representatives to finalise the transfer once they turn 18 in early 2026 – an approach that worked with the signing of Ibrahim Diarra.

However, sources close to the players report that they have not heard from Barcelona for some time. This prolonged silence has left Cisse and Dabo confused, as they believed the move was practically a done deal.

To complicate matters further, several top European clubs have taken advantage of this uncertainty. These clubs are offering significantly better financial packages, making it harder for Barça to compete.

Barcelona face another looming threat as Cisse’s market value could rise even further during the Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations, set to take place this April. A strong performance could spark increased interest from European heavyweights eager to snap him up.

It now remains to be seen whether the pursuit of Cisse and Dabo will end successfully for the La Liga leaders or if they miss out on the prodigious duo.