Transfer Rumour: Liverpool and Chelsea set to battle for Crystal Palace wonderkid Joseph Hungbo

Liverpool and Chelsea are both reportedly set to battle each other in the pursuit of highly-rated Crystal Palace wonderkid Joseph Hungbo

According to The Mirror, Liverpool and Chelsea are both showing genuine interest in another highly-rated wonderkid, with Crystal Palace youngster Joseph Hungbo on the radar of the two Premier League giants. The two clubs are looking to poach the player from the Eagles.

Joseph Hungbo is a 17-year-old left-sided player who is adept at playing as a left-back and in more advanced areas on either side of attack and through the middle as well. The player has been at Crystal Palace since the age of nine and has rapidly progressed through the age groups. Hungbo is also a recipient of the Under 9-16 Player of the Year at Palace for the 2015-16 campaign.

Hungbo is eligible to represent both England and Nigeria at the international level – a decision he is yet to formally announce or hint towards. After making 24 appearances for the Under-18s in the 2016-17 season, the player has managed to break into the Under-23 team this year.

The 17-year-old is very highly-rated at Palace and has rightly started drawing attention from top clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea after earning rave reviews for his displays. The two clubs are always credited with having great youth setups, with brilliant prospects emerging from their academies.

Liverpool, though, will have a tough time in pursuit of Hungbo. The Reds have been sanctioned by the FA – a sanction that prevents them from recruiting young talent from England for two years, which has seen them pursue prospects from other areas.

Hungbo will turn 18 in January, 2018, which means Chelsea will have two weeks of transfer window open to snatch the youngster’s services. The 17-year-old will command a compensation fee, since he is yet to agree a professional contract with the Eagles.

Liverpool have dealt with Crystal Palace in the recent past, with Mamadou Sakho and Christian Benteke both leaving the Reds for the Eagles. And despite the complications in the Sakho deal, Liverpool are confident it will not dampen their chance of landing Hungbo.

The 17-year-old, though, might prefer Chelsea, given the fact that he is London-born. Hungbo’s talent is only beginning to take flight and it seems like he is bound to play for bigger teams, in the near future or otherwise.