Bayern Munich star's cousin: Barcelona seal deal for "Hamburg's talent"

The contract runs until 2029

Barcelona have landed 16-year-old German defender Mikael Baza from Hamburg on a contract until 2029.

The plan is to nurture him through La Masia before any step up to the first team.

Barcelona struck a final agreement with Hamburg for Baza, the young German defender rated as one of the finest defensive talents of his generation.

Florian Plettenberg of "Sky Sport" reported the deal is done and the player will officially join Barcelona's ranks.

According to Plettenberg, the medical and contract signing are set for tomorrow, Tuesday. Baza will commit to Barcelona until 2029.

This fits the club's strategy of hoovering up promising young talents. The initial plan is for Baza to keep developing within the youth setup, turning out for Barcelona Atlètic and the under-19s, with a route to the first team down the line.

A 16-year-old centre-back, Baza has caught the eye of several clubs with his ability and potential.

His arrival answers Barcelona's search for a young left-footed centre-back who can feature for the first team in the future.

The Catalan club had zeroed in on the player during the current window. His name cropped up among the options sporting director Deco studied to bolster the position after Álvaro Cortés left the club.

Now, according to Plettenberg, Barcelona have pushed things through and wrapped up the deal with Hamburg.

There's a family link to one of German football's most prominent defenders too. Baza is the cousin of Jonathan Tah, the Germany international now at Bayern Munich.

Baza is only sixteen and has a long development road ahead, yet the Catalan club have already tied him down until 2029.