Barcelona have increased their efforts to recruit the best and the brightest teenagers across the globe over the past 12 months, and it looks as if Ghanaian left-back David Oduro will be the focus of their attentions in coming months.
The 17-year-old already plays regularly for Accra Lions in the Ghanaian Premier League, and was on trial with Barcelona last month. He has also received interest from Bayern Munich though, and was on trial with Chelsea before he arrived in Barcelona. As he is only 17, he cannot make the jump until June, when he comes of age.
Oduro has been compared to Alphonso Davies style-wise, and is the latest evidence of Barcelona’s intention to increase their presence in West Africa. As reported by Sport, they are working on a deal to bring Oduro in this summer, having already moved for Malian Ibrahim Diarra. Both come as part of a directive from Joan Laporta to scout better and more regularly in Mali, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.
Barcelona brought in Noah Darvich and Mikayil Faye last summer to play for the Barca Atletic side, and both have since impressed, while two of their greatest success stories were teenage acquisitions of Ronald Araujo and Pedri. Undoubtedly they are trying to find and tie up deals for talents at an earlier age as a way of addresing their economic struggles, which prevent them from pursuing more established talents.
