Barcelona sign teenage Morocco midfielder Mehdi El Maimouni from Charleroi for Under-19s

Barcelona have completed the signing of highly rated Morocco youth midfielder Mehdi El Maimouni from Belgian side Royal Charleroi, continuing the club’s drive to recruit emerging Arab talent.

The Spanish club announced on Thursday that an agreement had been reached with Royal Charleroi for the 17-year-old, who will immediately link up with Barcelona’s Under-19 squad. Financial terms and the length of El Maimouni’s contract have not been disclosed.

Barcelona confirmed the deal in an official statement on their account on X, adding that the teenager will join the same age-group side where Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim began his Barcelona career after arriving from Al Ahly a few months ago.

Versatile midfielder compared to Busquets

El Maimouni is regarded as one of the most promising young midfielders in Belgian football. Primarily a defensive midfielder, he is also comfortable operating as a number eight, offering flexibility in the centre of the pitch.

The youngster is noted for his technical quality, his range of passing and his ability to help build attacks from deep positions. Coaches and observers have highlighted his tactical intelligence, his reading of the game and his capacity to control the tempo from the base of midfield.

These attributes have led some to draw early comparisons with former Barcelona captain and club legend Sergio Busquets, who defined the holding midfield role during his long spell at Camp Nou. El Maimouni’s profile has consequently attracted attention from several clubs across Europe.

Among those monitoring his progress were PSV Eindhoven and a number of Premier League sides, with Newcastle named as one of the English clubs that had shown interest before Barcelona moved to secure his signature.

Dual-nationality prospect for Morocco and Belgium

El Maimouni holds both Moroccan and Belgian nationality, leaving open the possibility of representing either country at international level in the coming years.

By adding El Maimouni, Barcelona reaffirm their current strategy of targeting promising young players from the Arab world and beyond for their academy and development teams. The arrival of the Moroccan teenager follows the recent recruitment of Hamza Abdelkarim, who also joined the club’s youth structure after impressing in his home country.

El Maimouni will now seek to establish himself within Barcelona’s Under-19 set-up as he begins his development in Spain, with the club viewing him as a long-term project in a position that has historically been pivotal to their style of play.