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Valuations of footballers have risen massively in the last few years with the increase in riches of the clubs. When it comes to U-20 players, the valuation is even bigger. With revenues from multiple sources, clubs don't shy away from spending big on players or offering bumper contracts.
Footballers don't have a market valuation stamped on their foreheads. While certain leagues put in place a mandatory release clause, the market valuations and potential transfer fee requirements are unknown.
Organizations like the CIES football observatory have accurate metrics for measuring the market valuations of players with accuracy.
The following five names may be 20 years or younger, but they already have an astronomical estimated transfer valuation. Let's take a look at them:
#5 Bukayo Saka - €103M
Arsenal, in recent times, have underperformed for the larger part. But there are some rays of light shining through, and Bukayo Saka is certainly one such ray of light.
Saka is just 20 years of age but has already become a regular in the Emirates. He was even called up to the Euros for England but had a penalty shootout heartbreak. He was one of the players to miss the penalty in the penalty shootout against Italy in the finals.
But Saka bounced back well from it and has been one of Arsenal's better performers this season. He had already renewed his contract last season, with the new deal keeping him until the summer of 2024.
Saka has already made 26 appearances across all competitions this season, scoring seven goals and making four assists. However, those stats do not accurately reflect his abilities as Saka has played in several positions when required. Aside from versatility, he has immense skill on the ball and the pace to get the better of opposition defenders.
#4 Pedri - €118M
The recent times haven't been kind to Barcelona as the Spanish giants have fallen in standards. The club has suffered miserably due to poor financial management and has even lost talisman Lionel Messi last summer.
Performances on the pitch haven't been worth talking about, but amid all the gloom, Pedri has emerged. The young Spaniard has already grabbed the headlines, at just 19 years of age. He has become a regular for both club and country. Pedri has sublime skill on the ball and an exceptional trait to thread killer passes.
The current season has been unfortunate as Pedri missed a major part of it with an injury. However, he has now recovered from injury and will look to make it big under current manager Xavi. It remains to be seen in which position the Catalan legend uses the Spanish wonderkid.
#3 Jude Bellingham - €130.1M
Jude Bellingham grabbed the headlines even before becoming a teenager when he was fast-tracked to the Birmingham City main squad. He came on the radar of former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who wanted to bring him to Old Trafford. Bellingham instead switched to Borussia Dortmund in 2020 in search of guaranteed minutes.
The move has done wonders for his career as the English teenager has become a star in Germany at just 18 years of age. Since joining Dortmund, Bellingham has displayed his passing and technical abilities. He is adept at playing in central midfield, and big things await him in the days to come.
At 18, Bellingham is already a starter at Dortmund. He has already scored four times and made 10 assists in 28 appearances so far this season in all competitions.
It remains to be seen with performances like that how long the German club can manage to keep their prized asset.
#2 Florian Wirtz - €133M
The Bundesliga is a goldmine for young talent at the moment. One doesn't have to look any further than Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid Florian Wirtz. On his debut in 2020, Wirtz showed the first glimpses of his talent against Werder Bremen.
Wirtz excels at playing as an attacking midfielder, and he is as good at setting up goals as he is at finishing chances. He has been one of the best players in the Bundesliga this season, and he is only 18!
Wirtz has made 24 appearances in which he has assisted 12 times and scored eight goals. He has been effective in both the Champions League and the domestic league. With a contract until 2026, Leverkusen is sure to feel lucky to have such a talented footballer tied down for such a long tenure.
#1 Mason Greenwood - €133.9M
After years of not-so-great graduates, the Manchester United academy has finally delivered the goods with Mason Greenwood. Like all the other talents on this list, Greenwood was promoted to the first team at a young age at 17 years.
His ideal position may be as a striker, but Greenwood has predominantly played right-wing. His ability to dribble and shoot with both feet is his greatest asset, and he has a vicious grounded piledriver.
Several legends of the game, including Michael Owen, have predicted the Manchester United wonderkid will reach great heights. However, Greenwood has been poorer this season compared to the earlier ones.
Greenwood had started the season brilliantly, having scored in three straight games and will hope to rediscover that form. While there has been no shortage of game time, fans would have expected Greenwood to perform better. He has scored just six goals and made two assists in 24 matches in all competitions this season.
