Barcelona interested in signing 16-year-old whizkid dubbed the ‘new Mane’

Over the past 18 months or so, Barcelona have increased their scouting efforts in the continent of Africa in search of new and exciting young talents.

The strategy is already reaping rewards as they signed African defensive duo Mika Faye and Mamadou Mbacke last summer.

Furthermore, they are working on closing the signings of two more young talents in Ibrahim Diarra and David Oduro.

Now, reports in Spain suggest that the Catalans have identified another young gem in Africa that they wish to acquire.

Barcelona want Amara Diouf

Indeed, as per Tomas Andreu of SPORT, Barcelona have set their sights on 16-year-old forward Amara Diouf, who is dubbed as the new ‘Sadio Mane’ in his country.

Paulo Araujo and Moussa Koné, the duo that is leading Barça’s mission in Africa, have identified the teenage attacker as a key signing with an eye on the future.

The 16-year-old prospect, who is currently at the Generation Foot academy, is considered the new Mane and has already made his debut for the Senegalese senior national team.

However, the problem is that the Generation Foot academy has a long-standing partnership with French club FC Metz, who will be taking Diouf when he turns 18 years old in 2026.

Metz are aware of Barça’s interest and have already conveyed that under no circumstances do they intend to give up the rights to the young star.

As such, there are two years left, until Amara turns 18, for Barça and Metz to find a solution.

Another issue is that ever since Barcelona’s interest became apparent, more clubs have taken note of the youngster. Real Madrid, for one, are said to be among those.

So, it remains to be seen whether Barcelona are successful in pursuit of Diouf.