Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Youssoufa Moukoko to north London in the January transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that Fabio Paratici sent Spurs scouts to watch Borussia Dortmund’s 4-2 defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach last Friday, with the BVB centre-forward believed to be the focus of the Premier League club’s attention.
Further reports have claimed that both Manchester United and Liverpool are also keeping a close eye on the situation of the 17-year-old ahead of launching their own potential move for the striker – for whom the Bundesliga side are believed to be demanding a figure in the region of €30m (£26.2m).
Finally, The Mirror suggest that, with Moukoko earning a surprise call-up to Hansi Flick’s Germany squad for the upcoming World Cup, interested clubs will be presented with a prime opportunity to take a closer look at the teenager in Qatar – with Die Mannschaft facing off with Spain, Japan and Costa Rica in Group E.
The next Messi
Considering the abundance of potential and ability that Moukoko already possesses, it is not hard to understand why Paratici would be interested in a move for the Dortmund starlet in January.
Indeed, after scoring a breathtaking 141 goals and registering 27 assists over 90 fixtures for Dortmund’s U17, U19 and reserve sides, the striker was handed his senior debut as a newly-turned 16-year-old back in November 2020, bagging three goals over 15 matches in 2020/21 and notching two goals and two assists over 22 outings in 2021/22.
However, over his 14 Bundesliga appearances – only eight of which have come as starts – in the current campaign, the £26.2m-rated talent has truly exploded, scoring six goals, registering four assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots – 1.1 of which have hit the target – making 0.5 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.
Rather unsurprisingly, these returns have seen the five-foot-ten attacker draw a significant amount of praise, with Flick stating of the 17-year-old upon his call-up to Germany’s World Cup squad:
“We’ve got two new players in Youssoufa Moukoko and Niclas Füllkrug. We’re delighted for the pair of them – with Timo Werner and Lukas Nmecha out, they could give us that special something.
“Both have improved fantastically this season. Youssoufa is just on a fantastic path of development. He’s quick, lively and has a great shot. We’re looking forward to seeing him. We have a lot of attackers who can play in several positions.”
Meanwhile, Bundesliga.com went as far as to compare the Yaoundé-born starlet to a certain Lionel Messi, writing of the Dortmund gem last year:
“Whilst Bundesliga.com would like to urge caution in comparing any player to Messi – a six-time Ballon d’Or winner who has revolutionised the sport – there are some parallels which are difficult to ignore.
“Often players playing up an age group or four are physical specimens, fortunate to have evolved into manhood ahead of most of their peers. But whilst Moukoko is by no means lacking in strength or speed, reducing his incredible goal-haul simply to those factors would be lazy journalism at best.
“Having only recently hit five-foot-ten in height, the majority of defenders Moukoko has lined up against have towered over him throughout his career to date. Instead, Moukoko uses his low centre of gravity, sharp control and impressive game awareness to make and take chances. He also has a deft touch with his favoured left foot and is ice-cold in front of goal.”
As such, it is easy to see why Paratici would be keen on a move for the teenager whose elder brother, Borel Moukoko, dubbed a “wonder” in January, as the Dortmund sensation not only appears to be a generational talent, but he could well prove to become the next Messi-eqsue star in European football – something that is undoubtedly an incredibly exciting prospect.
