Transfer business is picking up for Manchester United these days. After signing Eric Bailly from Villarreal, the club have now opened talks with Swiss club FC Basel for one of their most promising teen strikers.
Breel Embolo is a 19-year old Swiss forward who models himself on Mario Balotelli and cites the Italian as one of his biggest influences, when it comes to football (and not off-field antics, of course). Embolo broke into the first team at FC Basel two years ago and has gone on to score 31 goals in 86 games for the Swiss Super League club.
The young forward has reportedly been attracting interest from a number of clubs across Europe including Tottenham Hotspur, Red Bull Leipzig, Wolfsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach. However it now looks like Manchester United have surged ahead in the race to sign the teenager, according to the Mirror.
The report goes on to state that Manchester United have offered a £4.6 million per year salary to the teenager and £15 million as transfer fees to FC Basel.
Embolo was a star in the Switzerland U21 team and broke into the senior team on March,2015. He is expected to play a role in the Swiss challenge for Euro 2016, and this could provide the perfect opportunity for clubs to assess what the youngster is truly capable of.
Who is Breel Embolo? Where does he fit into Manchester United plans?
Embolo is not a name that many fans would have come across much while reading through transfer stories. He is considered to be a highly rated attacker who can play all across the front line, although he prefers the central striker role rather than being on the wings. The 19-year-old scored 13 goals for Basel this past season, is expected to continue his development and take his technical ability to the next level in the coming years.
Manchester United already have a pair of very talented young strikers in Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, who would probably be given preference over Embolo. The reported arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic makes it all the more difficult for Embolo to instantly break into the first team. However the 34 year old Swede won’t be around for too long, and if Jose Mourinho sees enough in the player then the manager could deploy him instead of the likes of Jesse Lingard on the right wing.
Embolo’s arrival could spell doom for the likes of Memphis Depay and Adnan Januzaj though, who are also competing for a position in the attack.
