Elite European sides chasing Dijon’s French wonderkid Rayane Messi | OneFootball

Dijon winger Rayane Messi (16) has well and truly caught the eyes of recruiters across Europe. The France U17 forward, who netted his first professional goal in the National 1 last week, is being tracked by clubs in England, Germany and France, according to L’Équipe.

Chelsea interested in Messi

The Messi name understandably carries weight and invites pressure, however, the expectations of the Dijon academy product are well-founded. His performances at international level (four goals in eight appearances for the France U17 side) have caught the eyes of scouts, who will once again watch Messi when he faces Red Star at the Stade Bauer on Friday.

Ligue 1 sides Lille OSC, Olympique de Marseille and RC Strasbourg Alsace are all interested in Messi, according to L’Équipe. The former have made the Dijon forward’s signature a priority, whilst the latter are exploring a deal in collaboration with their BlueCo owners. A future move to Chelsea is therefore in the offing. The Premier League club are currently unable to purchase the player due to the rules surrounding the signing of young foreign players. Other English sides are, nonetheless, interested, even if they are unable to make a move for now.

However, it is the Bundesliga clubs who are leading the race for Messi. RB Leipzig have already enquired about the player, whilst Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are also in the race. The youngest goalscorer in Dijon’s history may not be staying in France’s third tier for long.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle