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La Liga champions Barcelona have this week announced the signing of up-and-coming Belgian-Moroccan starlet Mahdi El Maimouni.
El Maimouni, for his part, is a 17-year-old midfielder, who has spent recent years developing on the books of Belgian outfit Sporting Charleroi.
The youngster chiefly lines out in a deep-lying role, orchestrating play from the base of midfield with poise and technical quality befitting of a player far beyond his tender years.
Such talents have already seen El Maimouni [draw comparisons](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fc-barcelona/20260716/1004207210/barca-incorpora-mahdi-maimouni.html) with Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets.
The Blaugrana brass, in turn, have long been keeping track of the teen’s progress, with a view to a potential move for his signature. After El Maimouni recently made the call to depart Chaeleroi as a free agent, Deco and co. therefore pounced.
And as alluded to above, on Thursday, negotiations between the two parties have officially borne fruit.
As per a statement across Barca’s social media platforms and website:
‘FC Barcelona has reached an agreement with the player Mahdi El Maimouni for his incorporation into the Club in the youth stage.’
> 🤝 El FC Barcelona ha arribat a un acord amb el jugador Mahdi El Maimouni per a la seva incorporació al Club en l’etapa juvenil👏🏼 Benvingut!
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> 💙❤️ [pic.twitter.com/SF4Pyqofxv](https://t.co/SF4Pyqofxv)