Barcelona has snatched the Moroccan talent Mehdi El Maimouni from Belgian club Sporting Charleroi.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the 17-year-old defensive midfielder will reinforce the La Masia academy.

The player is eligible to represent either Belgium or Morocco internationally, and several Belgian media describe him as one of the biggest talents of his generation.

It was learned that the player arrived in Barcelona this week through photos he posted on his official Instagram account, showing him visiting the Barcelona museum.

In one of the photos, jerseys of several club legends, such as Ronaldinho and Luis Suárez, appeared.

A few hours earlier, the Belgian site Walfoot published a set of photos of the Moroccan player alongside Barcelona's vice president of sports, Rafa Yuste, inside the club offices, in what is believed to be the signing ceremony of his contract with the team. Although the Catalan club has not yet officially announced the completion of the deal, Belgian media also reported that Barcelona had been following the Moroccan player for more than two years.

Mehdi El Maimouni is distinguished by his tactical intelligence, exceptional vision, and ability to control the tempo of the match from the pivot position. These qualities have led some to compare him to Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets, and have also attracted interest from several European clubs, notably Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, as well as a number of Premier League clubs, led by Newcastle.

Belgian reports also revealed that Saudi Arabia has shown interest in the player's entourage, as part of exploring the possibility of naturalizing him in the future, paving the way for his participation with the Saudi national team in the 2034 World Cup, which will be held on Saudi soil.