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What’s the rumour?
As per reports emerging from England today, Manchester City have joined the race to sign Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon. The 17-year-old is tipped to be a future superstar by many and has put on a string of consistent performances to cement his place in Fulham's starting XI.
The player was previously linked to Manchester United and Tottenham and if the latest reports are to be believed, it will be a three-horse race for his signature in the summer.
In case you didn’t know...
Sessegnon is a member of the newest batch of young talents in the country and has been quite a revelation this year. He has scored 14 goals in 35 league games for The Cottagers, despite primarily being a left back. Owing to this incredible return, he is now deployed at left wing and has emerged as a star in a very short period.
He joined Fulham in 2008, in their under-9 team and has worked his way up the ladder. He made his debut in August 2016. He is the first player in the English leagues to have been born in the 2000s to score a goal in a first-team game and the youngest player ever to have scored in a Championship match.
He is an incredibly fast player, has some trickery up his sleeve and has a knack for scoring goals as his record suggests. He was a member of the England side that won the UEFA European under-19 Championship in 2017 and was also voted into the PFA Championship Team of the Year in 2016-17.
The heart of the matter
As a result of his impressive showings for Fulham, Sessegnon has managed to get the attention of some of the country's biggest clubs. Manchester United and Tottenham were the first to have shown an interest in the player and now City are also in hot pursuit.
The player has a contract until 2020 and is valued at £25 million. Fulham may allow the player to leave if his valuation is met.
Rumour probability: 7/10
There is every chance that a move may be on the cards for Sessegnon and if an offer is accepted by Fulham from any of the clubs plying their trade in the top tier of British football, we might be able to see the player take the Premier League by storm next season.
Video: Sessegnon in 2018
Author’s take
Fulham is currently sitting fourth in the table and will be looking to gain promotion this term. If that happens, it will be better for the player to stay put, develop more and get a couple of seasons in the Premier League under his belt, thereby increasing his value, before making the switch to a bigger club.
If Fulham fail to gain promotion, they are likely to let the player go provided the right bid comes in. He is one of the best young talents in the country and there is no doubt why the big guns are after him.
