Barcelona among top clubs monitoring 18-year-old French winger – report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona continue to keep an eye on young talent with potential across the globe, with the view of signing them early and nurturing them at the club to avoid bidding wars down the line.

This strategy has led the Blaugrana to incorporate several young talents as recently as the winter window of 2026, with players like Juwensley Onstein, Hamza Abdelkarim, and Ajay Tavares, among others, arriving.

Barcelona tracking Rayane Messi

Now, according to reports in England as relayed by AS, Barcelona are among a host of top European sides tracking teenage French winger Rayane Messi.

The 18-year-old attacker is a player owned by French outfit RC Strasbourg but is currently out on loan at Neom SC in Saudi Arabia, having moved to the Middle East in the winter.

So far, Rayane has made six appearances for the Saudi Pro League outfit, scoring and assisting one goal apiece.

Prior to that, the French starlet had spent the first half of the season on loan at Pau FC, where he made 16 appearances, scoring two goals.

Capable of playing anywhere across the frontline, he has represented the French national team across each youth level from Under-16 to Under-19.

As per the report, Chelsea have already made their move to sign Rayane, and the Blues may well have an advantage considering their owners also own RC Strasbourg.

However, Barcelona are also monitoring the 18-year-old prospect, along with fellow European heavyweights Bayern Munich and PSG.

Rayane’s contract at Strasbourg runs until the summer of 2030. It remains to be seen if Barcelona take any steps towards trying to sign the youngster, with Chelsea already making their move.