The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations is currently going on in Ivory Coast, and while Barcelona have no players taking part in the tournament, they have taken a keen interest in some of the stars that are competing.
MD have reported that the Catalans sent a scout to watch the tournament upon it starting earlier this month. Specifically, six players are being looked at by club officials, including three that currently ply their trade in the Premier League – they are Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pape Matar Sarr, Newcastle United winger Yankuba Minteh and AFC Bournemouth’s Dango Ouattara.
The other three players being scouted by Barcelona are Ernest Nuamah, a 23-year-old winger that plays for Lyon, Ousmane Diomande, who is a very highly-rated centre-back for Sporting CP, and Raphael Onyedika, a 22-year-old pivot from Club Brugge.
All six players are young, and Barcelona would not (perhaps except in the case of Sarr) need to break the bank to sign them. As such, it could be a very smart ploy to explore this route.
