Barcelona set to sign Portuguese teenage forward Dani Fretri

Barcelona are 48 hours away from completing a deal for Portuguese forward Dani Fretri, one of the country’s emerging young talents.

The 15-year-old is expected to officially join the Spanish club on Saturday, when he turns 16. As an overseas player, Fretri is not permitted to sign for Barcelona before reaching that age, according to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo.

Barcelona made the decision to pursue the teenager after assessing him during a trial with their youth B side over the summer. Fretri impressed the coaching staff during the team’s training camp in La Vall d’en Bas, standing out for both his overall performances and his finishing.

He scored three goals in two tournaments during the friendly matches he played for Barcelona over the summer and was also named player of the tournament. Fretri additionally helped Barcelona beat Real Madrid in one of the youth Clasico meetings, strengthening the club’s desire to secure his signature.

The Portuguese forward is expected to begin his Barcelona career with the youth B team under Cesc Bosch. Fretri has already trained with Bosch and played in several friendly matches under his guidance in recent weeks.

Fretri was born in Portugal but moved to Luxembourg at a young age. Last season, he played for Racing FC Union in Luxembourg.

Although he has represented Luxembourg at youth level, Fretri began playing for Portugal Under-15s last year. He has also recently trained with the Portugal Under-17 squad.

His move is the latest example of Barcelona backing international prospects within their academy. Players including Joinsley Onstein, Ajay Tavares and Hamza Abdelkarim have developed with the youth A side, while Fretri is set to start the current season with the youth B team alongside defender Mikael Baza.