Barcelona set to hand a trial to 16-year-old African midfield gem

Barcelona set to hand a trial to 16-year-old African midfield gem

Aboubacar Maiga has been making waves for some time as one of the brightest young prospects in African football. The 16-year-old central midfielder, known for his playmaking ability, had already been linked with FC Barcelona in recent months.

He is part of the Africa Foot academy in Mali, which has a collaboration agreement with Barça and previously facilitated the arrival of Ibrahim Diarra.

Maiga to have a trial at Barcelona

Now, according to SPORT, Barcelona will hand Maiga a trial at the club to take a closer look at him and evaluate a potential move for the teenager.

Alongside Diarra, who is already at Barça, Maiga is considered one of the standout talents to emerge from Mali in recent years.

Recently, the youngster spent several days on trial at Paris Saint-Germain. He was also seen during Easter at the Olympia Future Cup, a youth tournament held at the facilities of AFC Ajax.

PSG have a long-standing focus on the African market, particularly players of African descent born in France who hold French passports, which simplifies transfers as it removes the need to wait until the age of 18.

After spending time in Paris with the U-17 side, Maiga returned to Mali to take part in the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.

The initial plan was for him to travel to Barcelona earlier, but he is now expected to arrive after the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, which runs from 25 April to 15 May. After the tournament, the idea is for him to spend several weeks training in Barcelona.

Closely monitored by the Blaugrana scouts for some time now, Maiga is known for his technical quality, particularly with his right foot. He is effective from set pieces and has a strong ability to arrive late into the box, contributing goals from midfield.