Chelsea & Man City among clubs interested in Schalke wonderkid
Cameron Smith
- 8 Oct 2023 19:42 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea and Manchester City are both interested in signing Schalke youngster Assan Ouedraogo as he begins to attract plenty of interest from Premier League clubs.
Ouedraogo, 17, became Schalke’s youngest ever player when he featured in their German second tier fixture against Hamburg this season and he is also the club’s youngest goal-scorer, courtesy of a goal in the same game.
The midfielder has played in all nine of Schalke’s 2.Bundesliga matches this campaign, with six starts and three substitute appearances, and his emergence onto the senior stage has led to Premier League links.
READ MORE: Who is Assan Ouedraogo? The 17-year-old Brighton want to make the next Caicedo
According to BILD's Christian Falk, the German youngster is being watched by Brighton & Hove Albion, while RB Leipzig are also targeting a move for the midfielder.
Leipzig’s sporting director Rouven Schroder was seen talking to the 17-year-old's father and brother during their Champions League clash against Man City last week.
Now, 90min have reported that Brighton aren’t the only English club interested in signing Ouedraogo.
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Chelsea, Man City, Newcastle United, Brentford and West Ham United are all keen on Ouedraogo and are monitoring his progress at Schalke, as per 90min.
In addition, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Lens, Marseille and Nice are also interested in the midfielder, which shows how highly he is regarded.
Ouedraogo’s new contract
Schalke have already made a huge step to secure his long-term future. The teenager has reportedly agreed a three-year contract which will be signed when he turns 18 next year.
But, a €20 million release clause will be included in that contract and can be activated when Ouedraogo turns 18, according to Christian Falk.
Ouedraogo spent last season in Schalke’s U19 side and he scored four goals and provided two assists in nine appearances in the U19-Bundesliga West in 2022-23. He also netted three goals in four DFB-Pokal der Junioren games last campaign.
