Barcelona paid €8.5 million for a player worth €800,000
The Catalan giants have signed 18-year-old Belgian of Ghanaian descent from Club Brugge, despite him having no first-team appearances.
The Catalan giants have signed 18-year-old Belgian of Ghanaian descent from Club Brugge, despite him having no first-team appearances.
Barcelona officially confirmed on Tuesday the arrival of Jesse Bisiwu, an 18-year-old winger from Club Brugge. The transfer was completed for a fee of €8.5 million, more than ten times his current market value, estimated at €800,000. The Belgian club also retained a 20% sell-on clause for any future transfer.
Bisiwu only turned 18 in January and has yet to make a senior appearance for Brugge. Last season, he was a regular for the second team, Club NXT, where he scored two goals and provided two assists in 36 appearances. In the UEFA Youth League for the U19 side, he scored three goals and added one assist in 14 matches.
The young Belgian, who has Ghanaian roots, plays on the left wing and has represented Belgium at all youth levels from U15 to U18. He made his debut for the U19 team in March this year.
Bart Tamsyn, head of Transfermarkt for Belgium and a former scout for Club NXT, has been closely monitoring his development. "If a club like Barcelona is after you, you must have talent," Tamsyn joked to Index.hr, adding: "Even in Belgium, it was a surprise back in January when he was first linked with Barça."
If Barcelona wants him, he can certainly reach the top of European football, but there are still plenty of doubts about whether he will truly make it. In Belgium, he has long been considered one of the most promising young players. During the summer preparations in 2023, when he was just 15, he already got the chance to train with Club Brugge's first team.
Tamsyn also offered a detailed analysis of the player: "He's a typical winger who relies on technique and pace, especially over the first few meters. He's excellent at dribbling along the touchline, but also when cutting inside. However, he still needs to learn to focus more on team play because he sometimes leans too much toward individual solutions. Defense isn't his strong suit, so he occasionally neglects his defensive duties."
The comparison with Jérémy Doku was inevitable. "I think his style of play can be compared to Doku's. Doku is more explosive over the first few meters, but technically, Bisiwu could end up being even better than him," Tamsyn concluded.
