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Chelsea and Newcastle have been put on high alert after Borussia Dortmund handed young star Youssoufa Moukoko with a contract ultimatum.
As reported by LiveScore, the 18-year-old has been told to make a decision on his future this week ahead of the resumption of the Bundesliga.
The German league gets underway once again on Friday after taking a lengthy break for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Moukoko’s current deal with Dortmund expires at the end of the campaign, with the club now handing him the ultimatum of either signing a new deal or exiting the Bundesliga side.
Chelsea and Newcastle monitoring youngster
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Dortmund Sporting Director Sebastian Kehl has confirmed that Moukoko has been handed a “very attractive offer” as the club does their utmost to keep hold of their young star.
The teenager has scored six goals and created six others in his 14 league games this season, and is reportedly being chased by Premier League duo Chelsea and Newcastle.
“We have put together a very attractive offer that gives him a lot of room for development,” said Kehl. “That should lead to a decision. He has to make it with his environment and his advisor.
“Youssoufa can now accept this offer and commit to Borussia Dortmund, or we will go our separate ways. I would like him to choose us because he is not yet at the end of his development and I see huge potential in him.
“But there are limits for us as a club. And we have shown these limits. Now it’s up to him to decide.
“Youssoufa and his advisors know that we are expecting a decision this week because we want to have this clarified before the first game back so that the boy can devote himself entirely to the sporting challenges.”
Moukoko’s rapid rise
Moukoko’s stock has risen greatly in recent times, with the 18-year-old recently included in the Germany 2022 World Cup squad.
He has already made 59 appearances for Dortmund, having made his debut in November 2020 in a win against Hertha Berlin, coming on as a substitute for a certain Erling Haaland.
That debut came just a day after Moukoko’s 16th birthday. Many reports have now linked the teenager with a switch to English football, just like Haaland.
But Kehl, who spent 13 years as a player at the German outfit, noted that Dortmund have worked hard to help support their young star, and have no plans to lose him any time soon.
“Youssoufa is a great boy,” added Kehl. “He’s been with us for almost seven years, we trained and developed him.
“He became a professional and a national player with us. He received an incredible amount of support from us and worked hard to achieve success himself.”
Chelsea to spend further this month?
Newcastle are yet to spend big this month, having delved into the transfer window in recent times following their mega-money takeover.
They have been linked with countless players in the January transfer window, including three Chelsea players in Conor Gallagher, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Hakim Ziyech.
But Chelsea themselves are seemingly focused on bringing in talent, having already signed four players on permanent deals this month.
Defender Benoit Badiashile, midfielder Andrey Santos and striker David Datro Fofana have all moved to Stamford Bridge, alongside the reported £88.5m signature of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk.
Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix has also made a loan move to west London. The Blues have, however, been linked with several more players this month, including Moukoko.
6 – Youssoufa #Moukoko (*20 Nov 2004) has scored six goals in the #Bundesliga this season, at least twice as many as any other player in Europe's top 10 leagues among those born in 2004 or later. Wanted. pic.twitter.com/rY9AzxM27Q
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) January 10, 2023
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