Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool are some of the teams keen on Middlesbrough’s highly-rated striker Cruz Ibeh ahead of the summer.
According to TEAMtalk, a host of top Premier League teams have set their sights on Cruz Ibeh ahead of the summer. Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool are among the teams keen on the teenage prodigy, with Middlesbrough facing serious questions about their academy retention.
Middlesbrough have had a testing last 12 months when it comes to the subject of talent retention from the academy. The Championship side have lost highly-rated twins Anton and Bailey Palmer to Brighton, while goalkeeper Isaac Collinson made the switch to Chelsea.
Now, Middlesbrough are in danger of losing another one of their emerging talents in the form of Cruz Ibeh, with the 17-year-old wonderkid attracting big interest from top Premier League teams. The positive aspect about this possible exit is that the Championship side have managed to tie him down on a professional contract last year, which would allow them to sell him for good value.
Ibeh has featured once for the senior Middlesbrough side with an appearance in the FA Cup this season. Boro are hoping to keep him on to continue with his development, although the growing interest, particularly from some of the top names in the first division, may turn the player’s head as Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are keen.
It appears Liverpool are one of the teams interested in the 17-year-old wonderkid, considering they have been in the market for young signings. While improving their senior squad remains of paramount priority, the Merseysiders are looking at talents that they could develop, with Ibeh one of the sought-after names on their list.
Arsenal or Chelsea to sign Cruz Ibeh?
Arsenal tried and failed to sign Hearts striker James Wilson on deadline day, with the one-cap Scottish international joining rivals Tottenham instead at the end. The Gunners also tried to sign Blackburn talent Igor Tyjon, as they are keen to add a new striker at the academy level for their Under-21s. Hence, the links to Ibeh do make a lot of sense, with the Gunners likely to enter the race in a big way if the conditions suit their cause.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have been the torch bearers for signing young talents, as they were keen to bring former Rennes striker Mohamed Kader Meite, who chose to join Al-Hilal in the recent window. The Blues are always on the lookout for homegrown talent that they could develop as part of their system, as Ibeh is certainly high on their shortlist.
