La Liga heavyweights Barcelona have reportedly signed 16-year-old Belgian defensive sensation Jorthy Mokio from KAA Gent.
According to a report by Spanish outlet SPORT, Jorthy Mokio is a new Barcelona player. The Catalan giants have wrapped up the talks to sign the 16-year-old defensive sensation from KAA Gent after Deco met his entourage. The youngster will formally complete his move in the coming weeks.
Who is Jorthy Mokio?
Jorthy Mokio is the latest Belgian prospect to rise in prominence in his homeland. The country witnessed the rise of the “Golden Generation” in the last decade and a half, with Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Vincent Kompany, and Kevin De Bruyne spearhead that charge. A new batch of highly-rated prospects are now growing in stature in Belgium.
Arthur Vermeeren, Romeo Lavia, Zeno Debast, and several others have risen in prominence in the last few years. Mokio should join that batch when the transition from the current generation to the next completes. A centre-back by trade, the 16-year-old has been impressive with his no-nonsense style of defending and reading of the game.
The Belgian defensive sensation has already made his first-team debut for KAA Gent, turning out for the senior side for the first time in March 2024. Since then, he has made three more appearances for the Belgian outfit. However, the youngster’s spell with Gent will end this summer, with Barcelona signing him.
Barcelona move beckons
Barcelona first showed interest in Jorthy Mokio in April. Since then, they have intensified their efforts to sign the 16-year-old wonderkid, making him one of their top summer targets. Deco recently met the player’s entourage to discuss a summer move, and that has helped Barcelona secure his services.
The report has claimed that Mokio is already a Barcelona player and will formally complete the transfer in the coming weeks. The transfer should set the tone for the first team to follow suit, especially after appointing Hansi Flick as the new head coach.
The Catalan giants are identifying targets for the summer transfer window, and it will be interesting to see if they can quickly move in the market to bolster their first-team squad and challenge Real Madrid for the league title next season.
