Manchester United have reportedly 'set their sights' on rivalling Liverpool for a player who Erling Haaland dubbed the "biggest talent in the world".
Haaland played alongside Youssoufa Moukoko at Borussia Dortmund after the youngster broke into the first-team in November 2020. In doing so, he became the youngster player to ever feature in the Bundesliga and caught the eye of the superstar striker.
Now, he is also being eyed by the likes of United and Liverpool, with a growing chance that he may be available for a cut-price fee. Moukoko is only 17-years-old and is still yet to sign a long-term professional deal with Dortmund.
According to SportBILD, his father has fallen out with his agent, which is causing issues in negotiations. Moukoko's dad has accused his son's agent of being greedy, with other agencies now attempting to tempt him to sign with them.
His young age and growing stature in the game makes him a potentially prized signing. The situation has also attracted the eye of United who 'have their sights set' on signing the highly-rated striker.
It is expected that Moukoko would cost around £26.5million when everything is taken into account. That is a fee that the top Premier League clubs would be easily able to afford, especially for a player as talented as Moukoko.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Youssoufa Moukoko leave Borussia Dortmund? Comment below.
The 17-year-old has scored six goals and notched six assists already this season, having become a regular feature in Dortmund's side. Spanish paper Sport reported back in October that Liverpool are one of the teams eyeing a move for him, with his rapid rise no surprise to Haaland.
"I'm really happy for Youssoufa. I'd really like to play with him sometime. I think he's one of the biggest talents in the world right now. He's only 16 years and one day old, and he's playing fantastically. He has a great career ahead of him," the Norwegian said after Moukoko's debut.
Haaland continued his praise at the end of that season, though appeared to encourage him to stay at Dortmund. He told Insider: "[Youssoufa] is very powerful and skillful. He is already at one of the top clubs for improving his game. The club gives you a chance to play. It does not matter what age you are."
Despite the praise of Haaland, Moukoko has attempted to keep his feet on the ground. And he has insisted that he is able to handle the pressure that has come with the stunning start to his career.
“You just have to learn to deal with it. I have people around me who keep saying something. My parents, advisors. I think I can deal with it. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, just myself. That I learned,” he told Kicker in June.
“My role is to score goals. This is where the coach trusts me, he told me from the start: ‘I’m counting on you.’ That gave me a lot of self-confidence. I definitely want to gain more match practice, score more goals and definitely stay injury free. Now that I’ve got a break I can catch my breath and then I can attack fully next season. I’m extremely motivated.”
