Chelsea and Manchester City are among those keen to sign Schalke’s teenage talent Assan Ouedraogo, although there are hopes for him to stay.
According to 90 Min, A host of top European and English clubs are chasing Schalke’s Assan Ouedraogo. The 17-year-old German midfielder has suitors, including Chelsea and Manchester City, who are keen to sign him, but Schalke are also hopeful of retaining him.
Assan Ouedraogo became Schalke’s youngest player in history when he made his debut against Hamburg and subsequently broke the scoring record by netting in that game. He has featured in all of the games for the club in the 2. Bundesliga season, and he has plenty of suitors chasing him already.
Schalke are aware of the growing interest in Ouedraogo but remains hopeful of keeping him beyond the current season. In fact, they reportedly have an agreement with the 17-year-old German midfielder over a new three-year contract, which he will sign in May 2024 when he turns 18.
Yet, there are reasons to worry for Schalke amid their uncertain financial situation, which might force them to sell some of their talents. Clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea are ready to snatch Ouedraogo if he becomes available and add to their impressive stable of young talents.
Manchester City recently concluded a deal for Harrison Parker from Manchester United and are keen on other rising stars from some of the top club academies. They have also conducted some impressive business in the background, especially last summer, managing to gather more than £70 million for their academy products.
Overall, for any youth player’s development, Manchester City appears like a great club, and there’s a feeling players are keen to join them. However, Pep Guardiola’s side have the company of Chelsea in competing for Ouedraogo.
The Blues have embarked on an amazing run to sign young stars from everywhere. In the three windows, the club’s new owners have spent upwards of £1 billion on talents, with a chunk of it going towards building a young squad for the future.
They are already looking at new talents like Julian Hall of the New York Red Bulls or several players from Brazil. Corinthians’ Gabriel Moscardo is also a big target for Chelsea, and now they are keeping track of Ouedraogo’s situation.
Any move to Manchester City or Chelsea may seem exciting for any youngster in the world, although it will depend on Ouedraogo whether he likes the idea. For instance, his growing prominence within Schalke will want the 17-year-old German midfielder to want to play regularly with a senior squad, something he may not achieve with those clubs.
There are other ideas like Brighton and Brentford or some other European clubs, where they could guarantee his progression via first-team minutes. Hence, as it may appear like an easy choice to join one of Manchester City or Chelsea, Ouedraogo has all the decision-making powers here, and in all likelihood he will remain at Schalke.
