Fabrizio Romano issues update on Barnsley man amid previous Everton and Leeds interest | OneFootball

Exciting Portuguese attacker Fábio Jaló has attracted a lot of interest this season for his performances for EFL League One club Barnsley.

The Lisbon-born teenager's FA Cup strike against Horsham earlier in the campaign gained the attacker media attention after he cut inside from the right just outside the box and fired an unstoppable strike into the top left corner.

He made his League One debut in October, assisted his first league goal against Reading in December, and scored his first league goal this past weekend, notching the equaliser against Reading to salvage a point for his side in a 2-2 draw.

Premier League and Serie A clubs scouting Barnsley's Fabio Jalo

The Portuguese youth international's rise has certainly not gone unnoticed by teams in some of Europe's top divisions. Fabrizio Romano reported in the summer transfer window that Lecce of the Serie A had a bid rejected for the diminutive attacker.

However, to ward off any potential interest in their talented player, Barnsleysigned a deal with Jaló to keep him at Oakwell Stadium until the end of the 2026/27 season with the option for the club to extend that for another season.

In a press release following the contract extension, Barnsley legend and academy director Bobby Hassell said: “Securing the long-term future of Fábio at Barnsley was a move we were keen to act swiftly on due to the obvious talent he possesses and the potential we see in him at the Club."

Despite his new contract, Jaló is still being keenly scouted by several clubs, according to Fabrizio Romano, with unnamed Premier League sides, as well as clubs in Italy watching the performances of the wonderkid very closely.

Any club wanting Jalo however will need to pay Barnsley a significant fee due to his potential and his contract length, with the South Yorkshire outfit in control of his future.

Everton, Leeds United, Sunderland and Brighton have all been keen on Fabio Jalo

Prior to signing his new professional contract, Premier League teams Everton, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Fulham were all aware of Jalo's situation and were interested in bringing him in for cheap in the January transfer window, according to TEAMtalk.

They also confirmed that Championship clubs Leeds United and Sunderland were also interested in Jalo, but he remains at Oakwell until at least the summer, and then it is anyone's guess as to what will happen in the transfer window for the versatile forward, who has had an interesting passage into English football.

Jaló started at his hometown club and record Portuguese title winners Benfica before joining Barnsley's academy in 2020 at only 14 years of age, where he helped their youth side to their first ever Professional Development League play-offs appearance in the 2021-22 season, and winning the Academy Player of the Season award after scoring 27 goals in all competitions.

The Reds' academy did one better the following season, winning the Northern PDL division and the playoffs. Jaló made his first team debut that season - aged only 16 - playing 13 minutes as a substitute in a 1-0 win against Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup.

Jalo scored his first professional goals two months later in his first start for Barnsley, netting twice in six minutes to put his side 3-0 up against Doncaster Rovers in the group stages of the EFL Trophy in a match that finished 4-2.

The attacker has also had a taste of international football, having made appearances for Portugal's under-18's and under-19's teams this season.

He scored his first international goal in a 6-0 thrashing of Faroe Islands under-19's, before scoring in a 3-0 win against Northern Ireland under-19's a month later.

Jalo's rapid rise into the Tykes first-team has continued this season, and it could end up with him getting a transfer higher up the English footballing pyramid.