Liverpool and Arsenal have reportedly been handed a boost in their bid to sign French-Moroccan prodigy Amine Harit from Schalke.
In an interview with Buzzer, as reported by Tribal Football, Arsenal and Liverpool target Amine Harit has shed some light on his future. The 20-year-old insisted that he is happy at Schalke, but he did not rule out a move away from the club if an interesting offer came his way.
Harit was somewhat of a journeyman during his youth football days, before he finally found his footing at Nantes. After four years at the French club’s youth academy, the player made his first-team debut in 2016, subsequently enjoying his breakthrough campaign in senior football.
Harit only lasted in the Nantes first-team setup for one season before he was eventually snapped up by Schalke in the summer. And the youngster has settled quickly and seamlessly at Veltins-Arena, having featured in all but one game for Die Konigsblauen this season, with a respectable return of 2 goals and 6 assists to show for his efforts.
His exploits for Schalke have caught the eye once again, with several clubs scouring the possibility of landing him. Arsenal and Liverpool are the most prominent names in his pursuit, having followed his progress for a long time.
The two most fouled players per 90 in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season (1000+ minutes):
4.8 • Neymar
4.3 • Amine Harit (20)Harit is bamboozling the Bundesliga. ? pic.twitter.com/hFpBooiUnH
— Scouted Football (@ScoutedFtbl) December 14, 2017
Arsenal are set to lose Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, either in January or next summer, with Jack Wilshere’s future up in the air as well. The possible departures of Ozil and Wilshere, in particular, could gravely affect the creativity in Arsene Wenger’s squad, accentuating the need to sign a playmaker.
Liverpool, on the other hand, are in a precarious situation regarding the uncertain future of Philippe Coutinho, with Emre Can destined to depart from Anfield as well. The potential departure of Coutinho could prompt Jurgen Klopp to enter the market for a creative midfielder, making Harit a viable target.
The player’s ability to play across various positions in midfield and attack also makes him an asset in the making for the duo.
Harit has spoken out about his future, iterating that he is happy at Schalke currently while refusing to rule out a possible exit in the future.
“I focus entirely on Schalke. I feel very good here and I do not want to leave. But that does not only depend on me. Such an outcome would be decided by the president, the manager and the management of the club.”
“I will not leave, but if Schalke received an offer that suited them, I could not say no if it is also interesting for me. But for the moment, I can only see myself clearly in Schalke.”
The comments by Harit suggest that regular first-team football will be paramount to seal an exit from Schalke – something both Arsenal and Liverpool will be able to promise the same if their superstars leave. It now remains to be seen if either club succeeds in pursuit of the player, or if he continues at Veltins-Arena.
