 |
| 10 December 2022, Romania, Bukarest: Soccer, test matches, Christmas Cup with matches over 2 x 30 minutes, Rapid Bucharest - Borussia Dortmund, Dortmund's Youssoufa Moukoko. |
Borussia Dortmund have reportedly tabled a take-it-or-leave-it contract offer to Youssoufa Moukoko amid growing interest in the teenager’s services.
The 18-year-old attacker posted a phenomenal set of numbers at youth level before making the step-up to the first team, including 90 goals in 56 matches for the Under-17s.
Moukoko then proceeded to hit 47 goals in 25 games at Under-19 level, and he became the youngest player in Bundesliga history when making his debut at 16 years and one day against Hertha Berlin in November 2020.
The Germany international has seamlessly slotted into the senior side this term with six goals and six assists from 22 games in all tournaments, but his contract is up at the end of the season.
Dortmund have been working to try to tie Moukoko down to fresh terms, but the teenager’s salary demands are thought to be holding up negotiations as multiple clubs keep watch in the background.
Moukoko would currently be able to enter pre-contract talks with foreign clubs in January before leaving Dortmund on a free at the end of the season, and the Black and Yellows are desperate to avoid that eventuality.
According to BILD – via football.london – Dortmund have presented Moukoko with their final contract offer worth €6m (£5.2m) a season, but even that may not be enough to retain his services.
The report adds that the 18-year-old’s camp are holding out for a yearly wage of €7m (£6.1m), which Dortmund are reluctant to sanction, and the German giants are running the risk of losing him for nothing next year.
Moukoko is thought to be on the radar of Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Barcelona and Liverpool, and his agent recently confirmed that he had not agreed a new deal with Dortmund.
However, the striker caught whiff of the previously mentioned reports earlier and flatly denied the claims, telling the press: “I will never accept such a lie and I’m still shocked – it’s a shame.
“My full focus is on the second half of the season with Borussia Dortmund. I will never be bigger than the club.”
Moukoko has amassed 11 goals and eight assists from 59 senior appearances in a Dortmund shirt, winning the DFB-Pokal in the 2020-21 season, albeit without playing a single game at the competition.
The teenager was selected for Germany’s World Cup squad, but he played just one minute off the bench against Japan and was an unused substitute against Spain and Costa Rica as Die Mannschaft crashed out in the group stage.
Chelsea are already believed to be closing in on the signing of one attacking starlet in David Datro Fofana, who is set to join from Molde for a fee of €12m (£10.6m).
Datro Fofana – a 20-year-old Ivory Coast international – has scored an impressive 21 goals in 37 games for Molde in the first half of the 2022-23 campaign, and he reportedly completed his medical in London on Thursday.
