Barcelona close in on signing of highly-rated Mali teenager ahead of Chelsea — report | OneFootball

Barcelona’s ability to identify and secure young talent ahead of their rivals has become something of a hallmark in recent years, and they appear to be at it again.

Indeed, recent reports suggest the Catalans are on the verge of securing one of the most promising young talents in African football, in the form of Seydou Dembele.

Barcelona lead Chelsea in Dembele chase

According to Africafoot, as relayed by Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are closing in on the signing of Dembele, an 18-year-old playmaker from JMG Academy Bamako in Mali.

The report suggests the teenager could become a Barcelona player within the coming days, with the Catalan club having moved ahead of Chelsea in the race for his signature.

Seydou Dembele will greately improve the Barcelona youth ranks. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Despite sharing a surname with the more famous Ousmane Dembele, this Seydou is very much his own player, and those who have watched him closely suggest he is one of the most exciting young prospects to emerge from Malian football in recent memory.

Standing at 1.65 metres, the left-footed attacker is perhaps most immediately striking for what he does when the ball reaches his feet.

His dribbling is described as electric, and he combines that with a sharp eye for goal – both in open play and from set pieces. Positionally, he is versatile enough to operate centrally as a playmaker or from the right wing, cutting inside onto his favoured left foot.

At the international level, Dembele has already demonstrated his quality for the Mali Under-17 side, contributing six goals in 14 appearances – a return that will have done nothing to dampen European interest.

Chelsea had been monitoring his situation closely, but Barcelona appeared to have moved decisively to win the race.