Manchester United are among the top outfits eyeing a move for Borussia Dortmund sensation Youssoufa Moukoko, with Athletic correspondent David Ornstein confirming interest is heating up for the teenage prodigy.
What’s the word?
The 18-year-old is enjoying an emphatic breakthrough season with Borussia Dortmund, with a host of clubs now notching up the intrigue in luring him to their ground.
According to The Athletic reporter David Ornstein, Chelsea are now the frontrunners to sign the German sensation.
That said, with United holding an interest in the player, a swoop to steal the prospect from under the Blues’ noses must be struck.
Sport BILD (via The Mirror) stated last month that United and Liverpool can clinch the ace’s services for a cut-price fee of just £26.2m, so Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag simply must prevent his Premier League rivals from getting ahead in the race.
Forget Ronaldo
With Cristiano Ronaldo departing the Theatre of Dreams in acrimonious circumstances last month, United are on the prowl for a new talisman, and in Moukoko, they might unearth an offensive focal point capable of leading them to glory for years to come.
Having scored six goals and served a further six more assists across just 22 appearances (12 starts) in the current campaign, Moukoko is emerging as one of the brightest prospects on the entire globe.
And now a two-cap Germany international, having earned a call-up to the nation’s 2022 World Cup squad in Qatar, Moukoko’s future points toward a golden horizon, and with such a glorious melange of talents it is hardly surprising that some of Europe’s most illustrious outfits are seeking his signature.
The forward’s fantastic blend of lightning pace and deadly finishing indeed allude to a career that might just reach the very top of the game, with FBref already highlighting some remarkably impressive metrics.
According to the statistical site, the “biggest talent in the word”, as proclaimed by Erling Haaland, who knows a thing or two about goalscoring, ranks within the top 7% for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 7% for rate of assists and the top 12% for tackles when compared to positional peers across Europe’s big five leagues over the past year.
It is easy to forget that Moukoko is actually enjoying his first professional season of sustained football at the top level, and his resounding rate of success does indeed hint towards a fruitful career.
Moukoko, should he join United, could emulate the success of Ronaldo, who himself arrived in Manchester at a young age and nurtured and developed his abilities until emerging as one of the greatest forwards that football had ever seen.
The “wonder” that is Moukoko is certainly going to see interest ramp up even further as his contract creeps closer towards completion with Dortmund, and if he does in fact decide to depart, United and Ten Hag must make all of the requisite moves to barging past the likes of Chelsea and cementing his future at Old Trafford.