Barcelona finalise signing of highly-rated English winger

Barcelona have completed the capture of promising English winger Ajay Tavares, reinforcing their ongoing commitment to bolstering the famed La Masia academy. Negotiations that began in December finally crossed the finish line this week, ending Norwich City’s initial resistance and seeing off a host of Premier League suitors who had circled the teenager.

The Catalan club had targeted a January unveiling for Tavares, yet paperwork complications delayed the official announcement. With those bureaucratic hurdles now cleared, the 17-year-old has been registered and will start his Spanish adventure with the club’s U19 squad. Strong performances could fast-track him to Barca Atletic, the club’s reserve side, where fellow winter recruits Hamza Abdelkarim and Juwensley Onstein already ply their trade.

Tavares’s arrival underscores Barcelona’s strategic pivot toward academy reinforcement amid persistent financial constraints that have limited first-team spending. The club have increasingly leaned on home-grown talents, and scouts believe the fleet-footed winger could one day graduate to the senior stage.

He becomes the second English player to join the Blaugrana this season, following Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford’s loan switch last summer. Rashford is due to return to Old Trafford at the campaign’s conclusion, although talks over a permanent transfer are gathering pace as United brace for the 28-year-old’s potential permanent departure.

For now, all eyes are on Tavares as he embarks on a journey that Barcelona hope will mirror the success of other La Masia graduates who have stepped into the first-team spotlight.