---
title: "Gunners to confirm the signing of Barcelona youngster"
canonical: "https://readarsenal.com/2018/07/19/gunners-to-confirm-the-signing-of-barcelona-youngster/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Ryan Darby"
section: "Articles"
published: "2018-07-19T09:21:17Z"
modified: "2018-07-19T09:21:17Z"
---

# Gunners to confirm the signing of Barcelona youngster

Arsenal are due to confirm the arrival of young defender Joel Lopez from Barcelona.

[The London Evening Standard reports](https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/arsenal-set-to-announce-signing-of-barcelona-prospect-joel-lopez-a3890701.html) that the player agreed terms for a scholarship deal with the Gunners.

Lopez will sign a professional deal at the Emirates when he turns in 17 next year.

The player has been heavily linked with a move to England for some time, but the deal is now close to being made official.

The 16-year-old had previously confirmed his intention to leave Barcelona as he looks to take the next step in his career.

Lopez dropped a big hint of a move on social media when he changed his Instragam bio, claiming he was an Arsenal player. It was quickly changed after causing a reaction online.

The left-back joins a long list of players to leave La Masia at a young age, with the path to the Barcelona first-team becoming increasingly difficult.

While he is unlikely to feature in the first-team anytime soon, Arsenal appeared to have secured a promising youngster for the future.