SIGNINGS: Why should Barça pay special attention to the South American market in January 2025?

The month of January 2025 is shaping up to be a very interesting period for FC Barcelona and other teams around the world looking to explore South American football talent for potential acquisitions of young promising talents at an international level, who may not have been fully visible on their radars perhaps due to distance. Why is this being considered?

At the beginning of 2025, two tournaments showcasing the best of talent from South America will take place. For instance, from January 25 to February 16, Venezuela will host the South American U-20 Championship, where 10 CONMEBOL teams will compete for four spots in the category's World Cup to be held in September in Chile.

This tournament is expected to feature talented young players, such as River Plate's 'jewel,' Franco Mastantuono, with Argentina, to name one. These are highly promising players who have not yet had the opportunity to make the leap to a European club, but whose potential makes them clear candidates for future negotiations.

'Copinha': Another great showcase for South American talent

On the other hand, another major youth tournament taking place in January is the São Paulo Junior Football Cup, known as 'Copinha', which will run from January 2 to 25. This U-20 club competition is one of the most prestigious in South America and will display the best talent from the top Brazilian teams in their youth categories.

In this edition, there will be a particularity as several U-20 players will be going through preseason with the first team, allowing the teams to field formations with younger players, providing an ideal opportunity to identify emerging talents.

It's worth noting that several interesting players have emerged from 'Copinha', like the current Real Madrid forward, Endrick, who was the tournament's MVP in 2022, and Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal forward and MVP in 2015. Additionally, while not MVPs in their respective tournaments, renowned players like Neymar Jr., Vinicius Jr., Casemiro, Lucas Paqueta, Marquinhos, among others, have been part of it, and are currently considered some of the best in their positions.

Barcelona will send two 'scouts' to closely monitor the top talents in these tournaments

With this in mind, it's not surprising that, as reported by the newspaper 'SPORT', FC Barcelona has decided to send two representatives from their scouting department to witness these key developmental tournaments live.

This decision aligns with the policy that Barça has been implementing recently, focusing on securing young talents with potential who have yet to shine internationally, aiming to enrich their sporting projects with the virtues offered by emerging players from regions like South America or even Africa, showcasing a broad knowledge of markets beyond Europe.