Teenaged forward Ademola Lookman has been making waves at Championship club Charlton Athletic and this seems to have alerted scouts from a number of England’s top clubs like Manchester City, Chelsea FC, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC.
Lookman, who can play both as a central striker and on the wings, has made his professional debut just last month, starting for Charlton Athletic in their last three games.
Chelsea FC, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur are all reported to have sent their scouts to get a look of the player on Saturday’s match against Brighton, which they lost 3-2, according to Daily Mirror . . On the bright side though, Lookman scored his first professional goal for Charlton Athletic in the weekend, and this would have pleased the scouts.
However, it is in the junior levels where Lookman has really caught the eye, scoring 16 goals, before earning a callup to their first team squad.
Manchester City want to sign Lookman in January
Manchester City have had their injury woes up front this season with Sergio Aguero and Wilfried Bony suffering from recurring hamstring and/or ankle injuries. The only other out-and-out striker in their squad is 19-year-old Kelechi Iheanacho.
If rumours are to be believed, Manchester City are already trying to snap-up Lookman in the January transfer window. However, their apparent plans with him won’t really help with the injury crises of their forwards. According to reports, Manchester City are looking to buy Lookman and immediately loan him off to Charlton, so that he can get more game time with the club.
Lookman’s Contract issue
The teenaged forward’s current contract with Charlton runs out at the end of the 2015/16 season, which is why Charlton Athletic are trying to get him to sign an extension as quickly as possible.
The fact that Lookman’s contract runs out in another six months, also means that whoever signs him in January, can actually snap him up for quite a bargain of a price — or even for free agent in the summer. Protecting an asset like Lookman is essential for a club like Charlton, as the money they would get from his transfer, especially to a big club, could help them in a long way.