Barcelona scouts impressed by 22-year-old defender on national team debut at AFCON

Barcelona have scouts present at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as they continue to keep an eye out for young talents making waves.

One of the players that the Blaugrana are closely tracking at the tournament happens to be Levante striker Etta Eyong.

The 22-year-old Cameroonian striker started the tournament with the only goal of the game in his team’s win over Gabon.

However, as it so happens, Eyong was not the only player who happened to catch the eyes of the Blaugrana scouts in the game.

Barcelona scouts impressed by Samuel Kotto

Indeed, according to SPORT, Barcelona’s scouts were also impressed by the performance of Eyong’s Cameroon teammate Samuel Kotto.

The left-sided centre-back, aged 22, who currently plays for Gent in Belgium, stood out for his physical strength and ability on the ball, making an impression on the scouts from the Catalan club.

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It is well-known that Barcelona are eyeing a centre-back for the summer of 2026, preferably left-footed, having not filled the void left by Inigo Martinez’s exit in the previous transfer window.

Established players such as Alessandro Bastoni and Josko Gvardiol are the top names on the wishlist, but are likely to be out of reach due to finances.

So, other, more affordable options are being looked at in the market, with Nico Schlotterbeck and Pau Torres among the options.

There is nothing to say that Kotto is now a target for Barcelona, but the club scouts were impressed with what they saw from the Gent defender on his debut for the Cameroonian national team against Gabon at the AFCON.

Standing at 1.90m tall, Kotto has been in Europe since 2022, when he joined Malmo in Sweden. After a series of loan spells, the defender signed for Gent in January 2025 and has made 18 senior appearances.

Kotto’s contract with the Belgian outfit runs until the summer of 2028.