Manchester United keeping a close eye on highly-rated England U18 international Souleymane Sidibé | OneFootball

The post-Sir Alex Ferguson years have been characterised by the arrival of big-name players on massive wages but with little silverware to show for their efforts.

New co-owners INEOS are keen to adopt a fresh approach which includes buying diamonds in the rough and that includes on focussing on homegrown talent as well.

With the academy doing so well this year (the U18 team won a treble), the club will look to keep the influx of talent going and Stoke City’s highly talented Souleymane Sidibé is reportedly a target for the club according to Foot Mercato.

In fact, the Red Devils have been watching him intently for more than a couple of years now. The report also adds that fierce rivals Manchester City and Liverpool have also been keeping a keen eye on his development.

Young Sidibe attracting plenty of interest

“Sol Sidibé, as he is nicknamed, grew up in the heart of the West Midlands club and quite logically took his first steps among young people at Stoke City.

“A boon for the English club which was able to benefit from the qualities of young Sol in the youth team while the midfielder has been courted since the age of 14 by Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool.”

Son of famous former Stoke City player Mamady Sidibé, the young midfielder made his first team debut for the Potters in August of last year at the age of 16 years and 176 days, which made him the first player born in 2007 to make his debut in one of the top divisions of English football.

In the process, he also became the second youngest debutant in Stoke City’s history. The 17-year-old can play all across the midfield and made eight first team appearances this season, including a start in the Carabao Cup game against West Bromwich Albion.

Despite being born in France and having the option of representing both Senegal and Mali, Sidibe was called up to the England U18 team recently and he featured in a 4-2 friendly win over Northern Ireland.

The increased exposure has brought more attention on him and now the likes of Chelsea, Juventus and even Rangers are eyeing a move for the academy gem.

Midfield gem is in demand

“The icing on the cake and reward for the work put in, the one who has a French passport, but who can also play with Senegal and Mali due to his origins, has just been called up to the England U18 team.

“Obviously, such performances and his call-up to the England team arouse some desire from the major European clubs. Chelsea, Juventus, Glasgow Rangers, Brighton are interested as are AS Monaco in France.”

The midfield wonderkid’s Stoke City contract is valid until 2025 and they will not give up their crown jewel without a fight. No mention of a possible valuation is mentioned in the article.

INEOS would do well to secure the brightest young talents across the country, something the club was excellent at during the legendary Scottish manager’s reign.

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