Barcelona closing in on former Real Madrid and Manchester City forward Jose Angel Pozo

Barcelona are reportedly closing in on completing the deal in signing Jose Angel Pozo as the Almeria forward is set to become the Catalan club's first signing of the January transfer window.

According to the Spanish publication Onda Cero, the 21-year-old forward will play in Barcelona's second team for the remaining of the season, before being promoted to Ernesto Valverde's side from the beginning of the next campaign.

The 21-year-old came up through the ranks of Real Madrid's youth setup. In 2012, Pozo left the Champions League winners and completed a switch to Manchester City for €3m (£2.6m, $3.5m). After spending two years with the English club's academy, he was promoted to the first team in 2014.

After failing to make his way into the first team, Pozo left the Manchester club and made a switch to Almeria in 2015. It is in the second division of Spanish football where the forward made his mark.

Pozo's form saw him attract interest from several other clubs in the country. Real Betis, Eibar and Girona have all maintained their interest, along with Barcelona. It is believed that Barcelona are now in a pole position to land him when the transfer window reopens next month. The Camp Nou outfit have held talks with Almeria in the last two weeks in securing Pozo's signature.

The agreement between the La Liga leaders and the player is that once he completes a switch, he will be playing for Barcelona B team until the end of the season. From the start of 2017/18 season, he will be incorporated into the first team.

Almeria are likely to pocket around €3m (£2.6m, $3.5m) from the sale of the Spanish forward in January. Pozo is set to become Barcelona first addition of the mid-season transfer window and will be incorporated into their B team for the second half of this campaign.

Barcelona B have struggled in the 2017/18 season as they sit in the 19<sup>thspot in the La Liga 2 table. Carles Alena and Jose Arnaiz have been the brightest prospects in the squad, but when they went through a rough patch, Gerard Lopez saw his side struggle to get results. The addition of Pozo is likely to bolster the attack as they look to climb further up the table.