Manchester United are desperate to sign a striker in the January transfer window, but may have limited funds available to do so.
One of the potentially lower budget options is Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko.
The 18-year-old is the latest on Dortmund’s endless conveyor belt of bright young talent, following in the footsteps of Jadon Sancho, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham.
For once though, the Bundesliga club may have been caught with their pants down as they failed to lock Moukoko into a long-term deal and his contract is set to expire in June, putting Europe’s elite on high alert. .
Six goals and four assists in just 14 Bundesliga games this season – making him the youngest player in league history to rack up 10 goals – is just one reason to be excited about a player Haaland admitted was Better than when I was a teenager.
Moukoko was also the youngest goalscorer in the Bundesliga at 16 and the youngest player in the Bundesliga and the Champions League.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Dortmund still hope to sign the player for a new deal, “but the timing is crucial, they have to act in December with a good proposal.”
If a deal cannot be reached, the German club will almost certainly look to sell in January to avoid losing the star at the end of the season.
The price in such a case is difficult to predict and would depend on whether a bidding war develops, with other Premier League and Spanish clubs also interested.
However, it is likely to be significantly lower than that of some of United’s other discussed targets, such as PSV’s Cody Gakpo and Benfica’s Goncalo Ramos.
For United, therefore, the price and timing could be very advantageous, but on the other hand, Moukoko’s inexperience and age could work against him as the club needs someone who can get going this season in Old Trafford.
So Gakpo is likely to remain the favorites to replace outgoing Cristiano Ronaldo at United, but if PSV get too greedy with their valuation, which has reportedly doubled since before the World Cup, then United could very well turn to the German prodigy as a riskier player, but potentially incredibly exciting alternative.
