Barcelona Eye €50m Ivory Coast Midfield Star Christ Inao Oulaï After World Cup Scout Mission

Spanish La Liga giants Barcelona have turned their attentions to Ivory Coast's prodigy Christ Inao Oulaï, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.

Oulaï, 20, has seen his stock rise in recent months, having helped Trabzonpor secure a UEFA Europa League place for next season while also winning the Turkish Cup in his first season with the club. 

Now, Barca have tracked his ability to the United States where he has already come under the spotlight with the Ivorian national team in their bid to do the nation proud at the World Cup tournament. The midfielder impressed during a short cameo during the nation's opening 1-0 victory over the highly-rated Ecuador. 

SportsBoom understands the Catalan club have dispatched a representative at the BMO Field in Toronto, where The Elephants will tackle Germany in their penultimate group games with an intent on closely observing the youngster in a high-profile game. 

However, Trabzonpor are well aware of other interests in their player and have slapped a €50million price tag on the midfielder to ward off potential suitors. 

Chelsea, Tottenham and PSG have all explored chances of taking the player last season, but the Turkish club made it known they would only listen to offers within their set price. 

TOUGH TACKLING

A deep-lying midfielder, Oulaï is regarded as a tenacious personality capable of holding down the middle of the park for his team while his knack for long-range passes is also highlighted. 

His 60% duel success rate was evident in the Ivory Coast's win versus Ecuador in their World Cup game on Monday. 

Oulaï made his debut in the competition, winning three out of five duels, and won two ground duels while also accruing a 100 per cent pass success rate. 

Barca's interest in Oulaï is no surprise as the Blaugrana are known to favour a player with such ball retention ability under pressure, with some quarters likening him to a Busquets-regen.