Barcelona announce arrival of 18-year-old Ecuadorian talent on loan | OneFootball

Although their moves to strengthen the first team are generating most headlines, FC Barcelona have also worked extensively on bringing in some promising talents from around the world. This summer, they have already signed the Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim, and have also reportedly reached an agreement with Club Brugge to sign Jesse Bisiwu, although this latter move is yet to be officially completed.

Meanwhile, they have also been working to sign some young defenders. They got close to landing Jorge Salinas from Racing Club, but the operation got complicated because of disagreements between the two clubs about the player’s release clause.

Furthermore, they were also reportedly interested in the Ecuadorian fullback Josue Caicedo. Now, Mundo Deportivo reports that this operation has also been completed and officially announced by Barcelona. The 18-year-old will leave LDU Quito and join Barca Atletic on loan for next season, and the Catalans would have the option to sign him permanently for around €2.5 million.

With this move, Juliano Belletti would get a versatile fullback for his team, whom he can also use on the wing. His strength, attacking ability, and change of pace are attributes that particularly attracted the Blaugrana club’s interest.

The Ecuadorian is going to replace Jofre Torrents on the left flank for Barcelona Atletic. The latter has been called up by Hansi Flick to train under him during the preseason, but his future lies away from the Catalan club. The Blaugranes believe he needs regular game time to continue his growth at this point of his career, and thus, are looking for a loan move for him.

Hopefully, Josue Caicedo would take full advantage of this opportunity to impress Barcelona during this loan period. After that, the club will decide whether he leaves or stays, as they would have the option to get him permanently with a very affordable purchase clause.