Liverpool and Manchester City are reportedly set to battle each other in pursuit of Zion Atta, the highly-rated Crystal Palace forward.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Zion Atta is commanding interest from two of the biggest clubs in England. Liverpool and Manchester City are both showing keen interest in the 15-year-old highly-rated forward, with the likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Monchengladbach and FC Augsburg also having their sights set on the Crystal Palace prodigy.
Zion Atta joined Crystal Palace in 2018, with the Eagles handing Milwall a guaranteed £60,000 to stave off competition from several English clubs. The highly-rated forward has since progressed considerably in the Eagles’ youth setup, so much so that this past summer, several bigwigs across Europe were hot on his heels once again.
Palace, though, managed to fend off every suitor to tie Atta down to scholarship forms and he has continued to show a lot of promise. In fact, such has been his impact in the youth setup for both the Eagles and England that he is touted to break into Palace’s first-team squad sometime next season. However, the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City are hoping to prise him away before then.
Liverpool are always on the lookout for the brightest young talent in England and beyond, with 16-year-old defender Sam Campbell the latest to be linked with the Reds. The reigning Premier League champions have also bolstered their attack in the youth setup in recent years, most notably signing Harvey Elliott from Fulham last year.
Isak Bergmann Johanneson is another prospect who has been linked with Liverpool, although he could be on his way to Manchester United instead. Liverpool, though, face stiff competition from Manchester City, who have themselves revolutionized their youth footballing setup in the past decade or so.
The shining example of their academy has been Eric Garcia, who progressed quickly in the youth setup before breaking into the first-team squad and is now courting interest from Barcelona.
It is suggested that with the post-Brexit regulations on signing overseas youngsters set to be introduced, the demand for homegrown talent could increase, which explains interest from Manchester City and Liverpool in Atta.
However, the two Premier League giants are not the only European clubs after Atta’s signature, with Bayern Munich, Borussia Monchengladbach and FC Augsburg also on his trails. Crystal Palace, though, are hoping to keep hold of the highly-rated forward, although it will be interesting to see if the 15-year-old’s head turns with emerging interest from Liverpool and Manchester City.
