Manchester United, Chelsea 'interested in highly-rated Schalke 04 teenager'

Manchester United and Chelsea are both reportedly showing a keen interest in Schalke 04 teenager Assan Ouedraogo.

The central midfielder was promoted to the Schalke first team for the 2023-24 campaign, and he has featured on nine occasions in the second tier of German football this season, scoring once.

Ouedraogo's goal against Hamburg SV on his debut at the end of July saw him become Schalke's youngest-ever goalscorer at the age of 17 years and 80 days old.

According to TEAMtalk, the majority of the leading clubs in world football are closely monitoring the youngster's progress, as he has been earmarked as one of the best emerging talents.

The report claims that there is strong interest from the Premier League in the shape of Man United and Chelsea, while German giants Bayern Munich are also said to be admirers.

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Man United and Chelsea have both allegedly had scouts at Schalke matches this season, with Ouedraogo's performances being carefully watched.

The teenager will sign a three-year deal with his current side when he turns 18 next year, but Schalke are expected to find it difficult to keep hold of him due to the amount of clubs showing an interest.

Offers in the region of £15m would allegedly be considered, with a number of teams likely to be in the hunt for his signature during next summer's transfer window.

Ouedraogo has played for Germany Under-16s and Germany Under-17s, but he is also eligible to represent Burkina Faso at international level through his parents.

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Man United are well-stocked in central midfield, but they are expected to further invest in that area of the field at the end of the campaign.

Casemiro and Christian Eriksen are both 31, while Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek are expected to leave the club in 2024, which would make space for a midfield addition.

The Red Devils are also set to sign another striker next summer, with Anthony Martial potentially being allowed to leave Old Trafford on a free transfer.

Man United are allegedly yet to decide whether to activate a 12-month extension in Martial's deal, with much depending on his performances during the 2023-24 campaign.

Chelsea have also invested heavily in central midfield during a period of huge spending, but the club remain on the lookout for the biggest young talents in world football.