Moves confirmed as two 17-year-old Malian talents join Barcelona

The Africa Foot Academy have confirmed the move of two of their better talents to Barcelona. Mali Under-17 star Ibrahim Diarra has long been linked with a move to the Catalan giants but has been joined by Arouna Traore.

Diarra, a right winger who can also play behind the striker, is highly rated by the club and Sport say they have paid €1.5 million for the teenage talent. He was recently at Ciutat Esportiva, but can only play from January.

The other 17-year-old talent, Traore, is a striker and will initially be on trial. Under FIFA rules, their moves cannot be made official until they turn 18, but Traore will not do so until November next year. Diarra, on the other hand, matures in December.

Also with Diarra, as happened with Ghanaian left-back David Oduro, Barcelona brought them in for a trial beforehand, before signing them a few months later. Aziz Issah also arrived from Ghana, reflecting Barcelona's intention to put more resources into recruitment in Africa.