FC Barcelona Want To Sign French Teenage ‘Pearl’ Mamadou Coulibaly From Monaco, Say Reports

FC Barcelona are tracking French teenage ‘pearl’ Mamadou Coulibaly at Monaco with a view to signing him, according to reports.

Sport note Barca’s acquisition of youngsters such as Pedri and Ronald Araujo – who, contrary to popular opinion and the club’s sometimes misleading marketing, were not graduates of the prestigious La Masia academy that also produced the likes of current first team coach Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi, plus Gavi and Nico Gonzalez to name but a few – as evidence that such “bets” on prodigies from elsewhere have gone well in recent times.

While Pedri cost a meager €5mn ($5.5mn) from Las Palmas in 2019 which could prove the bargain of the century for a figure tipped to become an all-time great, Araujo didn’t come in at much more from Boston River through an initial €1.7mn ($1.9mn) payment and then €3.5mn ($3.9mn) in variables the year before.

Racing Santander’s Pablo Torre also chose the Catalans over Real Madrid this month too – in a deal worth €5mn ($5.5mn) first off with variables potentially taking the total expenses of the operation to €20mn ($22mn) – and has been described by Xavi as a “natural talent” who can “play in midfield, wide” and is “two-footed” while having “a great final ball”.

Yet Barca’s scouting mission continues, and has allegedly led them to Monaco’s 17-year-old gem Mamadou Coulibaly who also operates in the center of the park.

Even more interesting for the Blagurana is that unlike the other listed purchases, Coulibaly could arrive at Camp Nou free of charge with his contract soon ending after he turns 18 in April.

Compared to Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga, and a possible one-day partner or positional rival for the Angola-born sensation in the French national team, Coulibaly has also received interest from the likes of AC Milan, Manchester City, Juventus and Tottenham.

Barca have received excellent reports on the youngster, who if heading to Catalonia this summer to switch allegiances would, like Torre and Araujo, first head to Barca’s reserve B team before proving himself worth of a call-up to the senior fold by a Xavi reportedly ready to receive a more established figure in AC Milan’s Ivory Coast midfielder Franck Kessi ahead of the new term.