Barcelona fend off heavy competition to sign 16-year-old wonderkid from Norwich

In a heartfelt statement, Norwich City sporting director Ben Knapper noted: "Whilst we are incredibly sad to be losing a young academy player of Ajay's talent, our overriding sense is one of immense pride. Ajay's progress has been a testament to the fantastic work of everyone connected with our academy, who have impacted his journey and contributed to this wonderful achievement... and we couldn't be prouder to see him take this step to one of the most iconic football clubs and academies in world football.

"Having joined us as an Under-12, Ajay has consistently surpassed expectations throughout his time with us and has risen to the numerous challenges we have set him. As an Under-15, he was a part of our Under-16 Premier League national finalist team and he also went on to become a regular in our Under-18s squad. He has also featured for our Under-21s, as well as playing for our first team as a 15-year-old in a pre-season friendly against FC Volendam back in the summer of 2025.

"On an international level, he has represented England at under-15, under-16 and under-17 levels, and we've no doubt he'll continue to make great steps for both club and country in the years to come. He is a wonderful young person with an exciting future ahead. This step really is a celebration of so much good work done in our academy and we'll all continue to follow his progress with great pride."

Tavares is the latest in a small line of English talents to test themselves at Barcelona, following in the footsteps of Marcus McGuane and Louie Barry. While Barry eventually returned to England with Aston Villa after a year in Spain, Barca officials will be hopeful that Tavares' physical readiness will see him follow a different trajectory. The initial plan will see him join the Juvenil A squad under Pol Planas, with a view to a swift promotion to the reserve side, Barca Atletic.

Tavares made his final appearance for Norwich’s youth side against Chelsea on January 31, and he now begins the ultimate challenge of proving he can master the technical requirements of the famous Barca DNA.

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