A former Republic of Ireland underage international has signed for Barcelona.
Louie Barry, who turned 16 last month, will join Barca’s U19 squad on a three-year deal after reportedly rejecting a lucrative offer from PSG.
The Birmingham-native leaves West Brom after 10 years in the Baggies’ Academy.
Barry, a striker who can also play on the wing, made his debut for Ireland U15s in March 2018, playing two games against Cyprus and scoring once. He qualifies for Ireland through two of his grandparents.
His U16 debut followed that September, scoring twice in a 4-2 win over Bulgaria. After that game, head coach Paul Osam described Barry as “electric”.
He lined out four more times for Osam’s side, with his last game coming during last November’s Victory Shield, before he settled on playing for his native England.
He has scored against Brazil (twice) and Argentina in U16 friendlies since then.