Borussia Dortmund starlet Youssoufa Moukoko is undoubtedly one of the most hyped talents in world football.
He first started making headlines thanks to his astonishing goal record in Dortmund’s youth teams. The teenager netted an incredible 141 times in just 88 matches in the Youth Bundesliga tiers. Now a first-team player, he is a sought-after talent.
Youssoufa Moukoko: Record breaker
Moukoko has the record for most goals in an U17 Bundesliga season with 50 goals. In addition, he broke the single-season U19 Bundesliga goal tally with 34. Most impressively though, he did this at just 15 years old – playing four age groups up.
His prolific talent meant Dortmund were desperate to get the teenager into first-team football. Because of this, Youssoufa Moukoko broke yet another record. The Dortmund teenager is the youngest player to ever play in the Bundesliga. He came on as a substitute against Hertha Berlin at only 16 years and one day old.
It is no surprise that Moukoko is a hot prospect in the football world.
Now, Dortmund may have a fight to keep him.
Moukoko’s agent issues warning
The youngster’s agent, Patrick Williams, has made it clear that Moukoko’s options are open in the future. He spoke to German paper Bild about his client: “It’s not a foregone conclusion that Youssoufa will sign a contract extension with BVB.
He continued: “Of course, many clubs are interested in Youssoufa, that’s no secret. His contract expires in the summer of 2023, which is getting closer, and the top clubs have that on their minds.”
Moukoko is now 17 and remains way ahead of most kids his age in terms of development. However, his rise has slowed, partially due to injuries and also due to the stiff competition within the senior squad. These obstacles have restricted him to just over 100 minutes of Bundesliga action, a sticking point for his agent.
Williams went on: “Yes, he has been set back a bit by injuries time and again this season. Yes, of course, the competition at BVB is great. But he hardly gets the playing time he needs at the current stage of his career at Dortmund. So of course we’re thinking about what’s best for the future.”
Struggling for minutes
Let’s elaborate on those obstacles further.
The German U21 forward has found regular football hard to come by since bursting onto the scene. He has had terrible luck with injuries, missing 12 games this season already. His debut season was also cut short due to ligament damage.
Of course, the competition in attack at Dortmund doesn’t help him. Having one of the best strikers in the world in Erling Haaland already moves Moukoko down the pecking order. Then, his inexperience compared to that of summer signing Donyell Malen means he can struggle to fit in the team.
Moving on?
Moukoko would likely be worth quite a high fee if suitors were to try and snatch him away from Dortmund. Valued by Transfermarkt at £13.5m, it would probably take more than that to secure the wonderkid’s signature.
Then again, shrewd negotiators could pressure Dortmund to sell for a reduced fee, leveraging the fact that the Bundesliga side could lose him for nothing next year.
Despite the injury concerns, Europe’s elite would still look to take a chance on his talent if he’s available, with Bild reporting interest from England and Spain.