Manchester United’s teenage sensation, Tahith Chong set to run down his contract and join Juventus for free next summer.
According to a report on Italian outlet Calciomercato, Manchester United wunderkind Tahith Chong has decided against renewing his contract at Old Trafford amidst interest from Italian champions, Juventus.
The 19-year old Dutchman has impressed the spectators whenever he has come on to play for the Red Devils but now Chong is looking for a new challenge. His current contract at Manchester United runs out next June as the teenage sensation is looking to follow the footsteps of Paul Pogba, who also joined Juventus from Manchester United for free and later came back to Old Trafford.
Manchester United signed Tahith Chong back in 2016 from Eredivisie outfit, Feyenoord after beating a lot of clubs to his signature. Since then, he was considered as one of the most promising prospects in the United academy setup.
Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the Dutch youngster was considered as a backup option to the senior side as Chong made four appearances for the senior side this season with the latest one being as a substitute in Manchester United’s 0-1 loss against Newcastle United, last month.
Chong has given some impressive performances for Manchester United in the Premier League 2 scoring four goals and two assists from just three matches. The 19-year old winger has the ability to play on both flanks and has also featured in Netherlands U-21 team recently after playing in various age groups.
The situation must feel like déjà vu for the Manchester United hierarchy and Ole Solskjaer who does not want to lose a young sensation like Tahith Chong just as they lost Paul Pogba back in 2016. This strategy of running down his contract and then joining Juventus will also deprive the Red Devils of the opportunity to cash in on the Dutch winger.
The Bianconeri have a habit of signing players for free, having roped in players like Aaron Ramsey, Sami Khedira, Paul Pogba, etc. in recent times. This has been their club transfer policy and at this stage, it looks like Chong may become the latest name of that list.
However, there is still time and Solskjaer needs to convince the youngster that he can offer him a bigger role in the club than what Juventus is going to offer him. The Old Lady already have a very packed attacking line-up with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain, etc present, so it will be difficult for Chong to get proper game time.
So it will be interesting to see whether Chong changes his mind and signs a new contract or he takes the difficult route.
