Tottenham Hotspur could face competition from Barcelona for the transfer of Mamadou Coulibaly as the Camp Nou giants have established excellent reports on the Monaco gem.
That’s according to Sport, who note the Catalan outfit’s scouts liken Coulibaly to Eduardo Camavinga of Real Madrid. Talent spotters for the La Liga outfit are keeping close tabs on his rise in France, with club chiefs keen to continue spending on highly-skilled young stars.
Barcelona believe Coulibaly represents a real market opportunity as he remains only on a training contract at Monaco. His terms are also ending this June, and will be able to sign a professional deal from next month following the French talent’s 18th birthday on April 21.
The midfielder is unlikely to wait too long before deciding where he wishes to continue his development. Coulibaly and his representative also expect further interest to emerge, with Barcelona, Tottenham, Manchester City, Juventus and AC Milan all considering transfers.
Barcelona plan to nurture Coulibaly in their famed La Masia academy if he were to accept a move to Spain. They would then intend to see the midfielder follow Pedri and Ronald Araujo in developing into instrumental first-team figures within the coming campaigns.
Barcelona feel Tottenham target Mamadou Coulibaly is akin to Eduardo Camavinga
Milan have already moved to seal Coulibaly’s transfer from Monaco against interest from Tottenham, Manchester City and some German clubs, per Gazzetta dello Sport. The Serie A side intensified talks with his camp in recent days to debate their intended plans for him.
The Rossoneri sought to elaborate how they want to integrate young stars into the project underway at the San Siro. Milan’s path is also akin to Barcelona’s, with an immediate focus on youth-level games before moving into the first-team as a possible heir to Franck Kessie.
Milan technical director Paolo Maldini and chief scout Geoffrey Moncada have revered the Monaco gem for a while. But Barcelona threaten to disrupt the Rossoneri and Tottenham’s transfer plans, as they see similarities between Coulibaly and Real Madrid star Camavinga.
Camavinga joined Los Blancos from Rennes for £34.5m last year aged 18, despite entering the final year of his contract. He had also attracted interest from Manchester United and PSG, per Sky Sports, with Europe’s elite keen on one of French football’s brightest talents.
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