5 Youngsters who might make big money moves in the near future

Clubs sign young players with an ultimate long-term plan which would improve both the squad and player's personal development, but not a bite at the cherry when they fail to settle in quickly. It requires more nurturing to get the best out of these young players.

Kylian Mbappe is the world's costliest teenager, and he has so much natural talent. He broke into the Monaco first team as a 16-year-old in 2015 and lifted the World Cup three years later. It is also no denial that Kylian Mbappe has a long way to go in his career.

On the other hand, there is a chance that money would sulk your attitude. A prime example is Adrian Mutu. The Romanian international was touted as the future of Chelsea FC, but the drugs problem forced the Blues to release him. It is evident that players' attitude comes into play when they get a chance to prove at the high level.

In this article, we shall look at the five youngsters who are well settled in the first team and could move to big clubs for a huge lump of money in the coming years.

#5 Nicolo Barella (Cagliari)

Born in the Italian island of Sardinia, Nicolo Barella has been representing his home club Cagliari Calcio from the young age. His technique, vision, stamina and physical strength make him one of the best talents to have through the Cagliari academy.

The Italian international is a central midfielder, and his ability to bomb forward to feed the attackers and sit back with the defence at times makes him one of the protean players in the squad.

He broke through the Cagliari academy and made his debut for the first team in 2014, but he was swiftly loaned out to the Serie B club Como where he made 21 appearances in one and a half years.

Former Cagliari manager Massimo Rasletti gave a chance to the young midfielder in 2016. He utilized it to maximum and took up the field on 79 times in the next two seasons. With an eye on the goal, he has scored 7 times during this period.

During the last international break, Roberto Mancini called up the Cagliari midfielder for the senior squad of Italy. Barella came as a substitute in a 1-1 draw against Ukraine at Genoa.

Unai Emery wants a replacement for Aaron Ramsey and the Spaniard feels Barella could be the perfect option. But, Arsenal manager would not be able to sign him with ease as Liverpool and Juventus are monitoring the progress of the Italian International as well.

#4 Frenkie De Jong (Ajax)

Frenkie De Jong is one of the several players at Amsterdam Arena to have caught the eyes of several scouts. The midfielder seems to have matured over the last one year and his performances in the Champions League has raised his price tag further.

The 21-year-old kicked off his professional career at Willem, before moving to Ajax as a teenager. Having played over two years of second division football with the Ajax reserve team, he got called up to the first team in 2016. He did not feature much in the Eredivisie and came off the bench in the Europa League finals during that particular campaign.

However, the next season saw him rile up 26 appearances for the club in all competitions. Additionally, the Ajax midfielder has started 14 of the 15 games this season.

Barcelona are ready to buy him for a fee of 35 million who see him as an heir to Andres Iniesta. Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are the other two interested clubs on the Dutch international.

#3 Tanguy Ndombele (Lyon)

Tanguy Ndombele has been a revelation in the Ligue 1 and the Champions League with a string of consistent performances for Lyon. The French international rose through the ranks of Guingamp. But, it was Amiens who provided him with the opportunity in the French top tier.

Moving to the northern part of the country, it took 2 years for the midfielder to break into the first team. Following an exceptional year with the French outfit, Lyon pressed the issue by signing the former Amiens midfielder on loan with an obligation to buy during the summer of 2017.

He played a pivotal role en route to Lyon's Champions League qualification. The 21-year-old has taken up the field 54 times for the Groupama Stadium faithful in this span. He was one among the standout players in the success at Etihad Stadium by thumping Manchester City 2-1.

A number of clubs including Paris Saint Germain, Manchester City and Manchester United are interested in signing the Lyon midfielder. The French international is a terrific passer of the ball and is a workhorse. Additionally, he is physically built to nudge off opponents in the middle of the park.

#2 Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund)

Borussia Dortmund have one of the best scouting departments in the world. They spotted Shinji Kagawa from Japanese second division, Robert Lewandowski from Polish second division, Mats Hummels from Bayern Munich academy and most recently Jadon Sancho from Manchester City academy who is turning the tide with mind-blogging performances in recent months.

They identified Christian Pulisic at Pennsylvania, USA in an academy named PA Classics in 2015. Former Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp was impressed with the young USA international and signed him for the German outfit. But, he never got to work with the German manager who left Borussia Dortmund after the 2014/15 season.

The USA international has the capability to play anywhere across the front line. Blessed with speed, trickery and with an eye on the goal, Pulisic can become one of the best forwards.

It was Thomas Tuchel who provided the winger with a chance against FC Ingolstadt to make his Borussia Dortmund debut. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win over Hamburger SV. He played a major helping hand in the DFB Pokal success in 2017.

In these three years, he has made over 100 appearances for the club and has bagged goals on 15 different occasions. The Borussia Dortmund forward was called up by Jurgen Klinsmann in 2016, where he made his international debut against Guatemala.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp tried to sign him in 2016, bu he was not able to pursue Pulisic. However, the Reds remain interested on the USA international who has decided against signing the contract extension which expires in 2020. Liverpool or Chelsea seem to be a possible destination for the young winger.

#1 Matthijs De Ligt (Ajax)

Matthijs De Ligt joined the Ajax academy when he was just 9 years. He has been touted as one of the best leading young centre-backs at present after significant nurturing by one of the best academies in Europe. He has been labelled as a leader at the back and is known for his cleverness to nudge out the attackers.

During August 2016, the Dutch defender made his debut when he was just 16 for Jong Ajax, which competes in the second division. He caught the eyes of the first team and made his debut for the senior squad against Willem II in a cup game one month later. He made an instant impact by scoring from a corner to become the second youngest scorer in club's history after Clarence Seedorf.

He has been omnipresent with the first team ever since then. He was part of the squad which reached the Europa League finals to end as runners-up to Manchester United in 2017. Besides, he made his international debut as an 18-year-old in 2017 in a defeat to Bulgaria. He has won 11 caps till date.

The 19-year-old has attracted interest from several clubs including the likes of Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur. Ajax will be willing to listen to offers more than 50 million, especially with many teams tussling out to secure the signature of Matthijs De Ligt. But, Marc Overmars insists that the club will not sell him in the winter transfer window.