Barcelona missed out on Senegalese wonderkid after family opted for AC Milan

Barcelona missed out on Senegalese wonderkid after family opted for AC Milan FC Barcelona, in recent years, have intensified their scouting efforts for young talents in the continent of Africa. The Blaugrana have signed players like Mika Faye, Mamadou Mbacke, Ibrahim Diarra, and David Oduro, among others in recent times from the continent. Keeping in line with the strategy, it has now emerged that the La Liga champions came close to signing one of Senegal’s most promising young footballers, but ended up missing out . Barcelona were close to signing El Hadji Malick Cisse El Hadji Malick Cisse, an 18-year-old defender who signed for AC Milan in January earlier this year, had considered Barça as a potential destination as he sought a move to European football. However, his family believed the Italian club offered a more suitable sporting project for his future, leading to the Catalans missing out on his services. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Milan Futuro (@milanfuturo) The decision was revealed by Mansour Drame, head of Be Sport Academy, in comments to specialist outlet AfricaFoot (h/t SPORT ). Drame explained that Barcelona had shown genuine interest in the defender and that Cisse had even visited the Catalan club’s facilities while assessing the different offers available to him.  “He was supposed to join FC Barcelona as a second option, but his parents preferred Milan’s project,” Drame said, confirming that the family’s decision proved decisive in directing the young defender towards the Rossoneri .  Cisse was regarded as one of the most promising talents of his generation in Senegal. Having developed at Be Sport Academy, the centre-back attracted interest from several European clubs thanks to his physical attributes, potential and defensive qualities.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Malick Cissé (@malick_cisse_6) AC Milan win the race for Cisse The decision to join Milan was primarily influenced by the sporting opportunities the Italian club could offer. Its development structure, designed to help young talents make the transition into professional football, convinced Cisse’s family that it was a better option than Barcelona.  The 18-year-old defender is currently part of the Milan Futuro project, which aims to develop promising players capable of progressing into the first team. His development will be closely monitored after Milan managed to beat several European rivals to his signature.  Barcelona may have missed out on the teenage prospect, but continue to keep their eyes on up and coming young starlets across the globe, with JJ Gabriel of Manchester United emerging as a key target recently.