Barcelona closing in on the capture of English attacking prodigy – report | OneFootball

Barcelona may not have made too many major moves in the transfer market this January other than Joao Cancelo. But the club have appeared quite active in signing youth players.

The Catalans are reportedly on the verge of signing Egyptian wizard Hamza Abdelkarim from Al Ahly. The club had earlier signed Joaquin Delgado as well, to bolster the attacking ranks at Barça Atletic.

But these two won’t be the only ones joining the club this month.

Barcelona close to signing Ajay Tavares

According to Gianluigi Longari, Barcelona are closing in on the capture of Ajay Tavares, a young winger currently plying his trade for the Norwich City U18 squad.

Born in 2009, Tavares is a nimble operator on the flanks. Standing at just 1.70m, his low centre of gravity, coupled with his quick feet, makes him an excellent operator in tight spaces.

Deco has been hard at work trying to bolster Barcelona’s youth. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Barcelona appear to have been impressed with Ajay’s performances in the English youth leagues and are ready to make a move for the 16-year-old.

Longari suggests Tavares will directly join Barcelona’s Juvenil A side, although the general expectation is that the player will soon be able to earn a promotion to Juliano Belletti’s Barça Atletic team.

At 16, Tavares has already shown what he is capable of. If he can maintain his consistency and progress at La Masia, it will only be a matter of time before he plies his trade for the reserve team.

The reserve team is usually the last hurdle to pass before a player makes the jump to the first team, although it is a lot easier said than done.

The additions of Abdelkarim, Tavares and Joaquin Delgado could go a long way in boosting Barcelona’s youth team, which has struggled with departures and injuries lately.