Barcelona announce defender signing

La Liga giants Barcelona have on Monday announced the signing of a highly-regarded young defender.

The player in question? Mamadou Mbacke.

Defender Mbacke, for his part, spent this past season on loan in Catalunya’s capital, from MLS outfit Los Angeles FC.

And the Senegalese went on to play a starring role for Rafa Márquez’s Barca Atlètic, forming a stellar partnership with the much-discussed Mikayil Faye.

A late-season injury blow, however, saw reports mount that Mbacke’s continuation in La Liga beyond the summer had been thrown firmly up in the air.

The 21-year-old suffered a complete tear of the internal lateral ligament in his left ankle in May, forced under the knife as a result.

Upon Mbacke taking to social media to announce his Barcelona departure, the widespread understanding, in turn, was that the parties were indeed set to go their separate ways.

As alluded to above, though, after speculation recently began to spread that a deal was not yet dead in the water, on Monday, the stopper’s return has been made official.

As per a statement across Barcelona’s website and social media platforms, Mbacke has agreed to pen fresh terms with the club, this time round on a permanent basis:

‘FC Barcelona has reached an agreement with Los Angeles FC for the transfer of player Mamadou Mbacke Fall, who will sign a two-year contract, until June 30, 2026, with the option to extend it for two more years.’

Conor Laird | GSFN