Manchester United and Chelsea are among keeping a close eye on Toronto FC whizkid Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, who is also courted by Manchester City.
According to Tuttosport, Manchester City and Juventus are set for a transfer battle in the pursuit of Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty. The Toronto FC youngster has attracted a lot of attention following his promising performances in the youth leagues and a move to Europe could be on the cards this summer.
Pep Guardiola has already his desire to get his hands on the 16-year-old, who usually plays as a right-sided forward. However, his Manchester City side could face stiff competition from league rivals Manchester United and Chelsea in the race to sign Marshall-Rutty, who is also courted by Bayern Munich.
Bundesliga has already become an appealing destination for MLS youngsters, with the likes of Giovanni Reyna, Joe Scally and Matthew Hoppe arriving in Germany in recent years. Bayern Munich, who already boast one of the best Canadian players in Alphonso Davies, therefore, pose themselves as a viable destination for the young Marshall-Rutty.
That said, the Bavarians aren’t excessively known for their ability to integrate youngsters into the first-team, which is where Manchester United could make a strong case.
The Red Devils have been revolving their squad around young players ever since the arrival of Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer. And the move has paid dividends as well, with the club now emerging as the second-best team in England at the moment.
Even Chelsea have improved their treatment of young players in recent years and it could only improve under the newly appointed Thomas Tuchel, who isn’t afraid of giving youngsters the opportunity to showcase their skills at the highest stage. It was prevalent during his time at Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain.
However, Manchester City and Juventus are also in the race so we could be in for an interesting transfer battle for Marshall-Rutty in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The Canadian youngster is yet to make his MLS breakthrough, but at the age of just 16, he had made his professional debut last year, appearing for the final 18 minutes in the defeat to Philadelphia Union. It was a disappointing result for his team, but the player certainly showcased what he is capable of in that little cameo.
And we brace ourselves for the return of MLS later this year, Marshall-Rutty is destined to play a bigger role for Toronto FC. While it is hard to pinpoint any definite leaders in his transfer pursuit, it will be interesting to see whether the prevailing side opts to allow the youngster to remain in his MLS to gain some much-needed experience.