FC Barcelona have officially announced the signing of youngster Gustavo Maia from the Brazillian club, FC Sao Paulo.

The 19-year-old forward signed contract with the Catalan Giants will see he remain at the club until June 30, 2025. The forward will play for Barcelona-B in the next season.  

According to Mundo Deportivo—a source that is close to the club—the deal for Maia has been closed for €4.5 million.

The payment for this deal was made in two stages: FC Barcelona had already paid €1 million to the Brazillian club, and they have now paid the remaining €3.5 million to complete the signing.

The trend of keeping a high release clause in young players’ contract continues with this deal. Barcelona has slapped a €300 million buyout clause for the Brazillian youngster.

Gustavo Maia was born on January 22, 2001, in Brasilia, Brazil. He developed his football skills at FC Sao Paulo since the age of 14.

After arriving at the club’s academy, he won seven titles with the junior level teams. In the 2018 season, he scored 30 goals in 36 games for the team.

Because of these brilliant performances, he was also already called up by FC Sao Paulo’s first-team.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Gustavo Maia (@gustavomaia011) on

The pacey and talented left-winger is also a Brazillian international at the youth level. He has played for Brazil in U16 and U17 levels.

In the Barcelona B team, he will now face fierce competition from the players already in the team. Korad de la Fuente, Hiroki Abe, and Nils Mortimer are the three left-wingers in the team, and Maia will have to play well to become the first choice left-winger for Garcia Pimienta.

After having failed to achieve promotion in this season, Barcelona-B will try to get promoted again next season, and Maia will be a great addition to the team.

The talented forward could play a vital role in the team next season and also could potentially play for the first-team someday.