Inter Milan have managed to fend off the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal to land the highly-rated Yann Karamoh from Caen.
Tottenham and Arsenal have both had underwhelming transfer windows this summer. And as the window slammed shut, the duo were handed another defeat as Inter Milan managed to beat them in order to land Caen youngster Yann Karamoh.
Inter Milan confirmed the deal on their official website. The 19-year-old arrives on a two-year loan from Caen with an option to make the deal permanent, at the behest of the Nerazzurri.
Yann Karamoh is a 19-year-old French Under-21 international who enjoyed his breakthrough season in the 2016-17 campaign. Emanating from the Caen youth setup, the player broke into the first team last season and was one of the first names on the team sheet whenever fit and available.
Yann Karamoh played the fourth most minutes (2,204) of any U18 player in Europe’s top five leagues last season. pic.twitter.com/ha0hGnWOMS
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 31, 2017
Interestingly, the player’s rise has coincided with that of Kylian Mbappe, who has gone one step further and managed to break into the French National side as well. And, as the media goes, Karamoh has been touted as the next Kylian Mbappe, despite being of the same age and having their breakout season in the same year.
With the tag though, Karamoh was tailed by the best of clubs in Europe. Despite a low downturn in the 19-year-old’s return – 5 goals and 4 assists in 35 appearances – the player is still regarded as a bright talent mainly due to his explosiveness, work-rate and versatility – he can play all across the front three.
Arsenal were looking for a player to replace potentially outbound Alexis Sanchez and perhaps as an alternate option to Thomas Lemar, whose pursuit left the Gunners frustrated. Tottenham on the other hand, were also looking at a more permanent solution to their flank occupied by Moussa Sissoko.
However, Inter Milan moved quickly on deadline day to sign the deal and bring the 19-year-old over to San Siro. The player has been handed the number 17 shirt and has been mainly brought in to replace Gabriel Barbosa, who has joined SL Benfica on a season-long loan.
It will be interesting to see how the move pans out for both Barbosa and Karamoh. The two though, have different agendas on their mind – Barbosa needs to re-establish himself as a world-class prospect and the latter must prove he isn’t a one-season wonder.
