West Brom are raging after Barcelona announced the signing of one of their top starlets Louie Barry.
But both Championship Albion and the FA have yet to ratify the move which means the 16-year-old striker cannot yet play for Barca.
Baggies officials accept the move is now inevitable though and are furious they will be entitled to just £235,000 in compensation.
This is due to Fifa's flat rate for payments to overseas clubs for young players.
The England youngster was offered a three-year contract at The Hawthorns but turned down the one-year scholarship followed by a two-year professional deal.
French giants PSG and RB Leipzig were also keen after Barry rose to prominence last year when he scored 10 goals in five games for England U15s in Italy.
He also won the golden boot in November at the Val-de-Marne tournament which England U16s won.
PSG offered him a five-year deal but Barry has instead opted for Spanish champions Barcelona on a three-year contract.
Described as a sharp striker who can play out wide or down the middle, Barry was prolific with England age groups.
He also represented Ireland at a schoolboy level, as he qualifies via two of his grandparents.
Albion are desperately sorry to see the Sutton Coldfield striker go as Barry, who attended Bishop Walsh Catholic School, has been at their academy since aged six.
There were high hopes Barry would be a future first team star but those are in tatters now.
And there is an emerging trend of young English talent being lured abroad for cheap compensation fees.
Two of Barry’s England youth team-mates, Jamal Musiala and Bright Arrey-Mbi, have recently left Chelsea to join Bayern Munich.
Barry also joins team-mate Morgan Rogers in leaving Albion after Manchester City agreed a fee of up to £6million with the Baggies for the England U17 attacker.
But Albion were entitled to a big fee for Rogers as the rules for compensation are different between English clubs.
Now despondent youth development figures in the West Midlands are even questioning the point in nurturing kids if the cream are just going to be poached to go abroad.
