10 young strikers likely to be targeted by top European clubs in the near future

Manchester United surprised many by signing relatively unknown striker Anthony Martial from French Ligue 1 side AS Monaco for a world record £36 million fee for a teenager. In the competitive transfer market, the top European clubs are always on the lookout to sign promising young talent, often not holding back because of high fees.Here we look at 10 young strikers who may be targeted by top European clubs in the near future. Some of these players are well known while some are lesser known but promising youngsters who, if they fulfil their potential, may go on to become household names.Only players who are 23 years or younger have been considered for the list. Players like Paulo Dybala (Juventus) and Munir El Haddadi (Barcelona) have not been included as they are already playing for high profile European clubs.

#10 Giovanni Simeone

Following in the footsteps of his father Diego Simeone, 20-year-old Giovanni Simeone has made a promising start to his career as a striker and was the top-scorer in the 2015 South American U-20 Championships with 9 goals.

A product of the River Plate youth academy and on the books of the Buenos Aires club, Giovanni is currently on loan at Argentine club Atletico Banfield. The player, who was born in Madrid, has publically stated of his desire to move to Europe and especially play for Atletico Madrid – a club where his father achieved success as a player and now manager.

With proven football pedigree in his genes, if Giovanni continues to develop his skills and build on the early promise, the top European clubs – including the recruiting team at Vicente Calderon – will take note and move to sign the player.

#9 Angelo Henriquez

A young Latin American striker signed by Manchester United and later allowed to move on after an underwhelming spell at the club isn’t a very unfamiliar story – Diego Forlan and more recently Javier Hernandez being the cases that instantly come to mind.

Young Chile striker Angelo Henriquez could possibly be another addition to the list as the player is enjoying a successful spell at Dinamo Zagreb where he averages more than 0.7 goals every game. The 21-year-old, who was part of the 2015 Copa America winning squad, didn’t find much favour at Old Trafford but could possibly have provided some much-needed goals to Louis van Gaal’s side this season.

Juventus had been rumoured to be interested in signing Henriquez in the 2015 summer transfer window, and if the player continues his rich goal-scoring form, he’ll continue to be in the watch-list of the top European clubs.

#8 Breel-Donald Embolo

The 18-year-old FC Basel striker has quickly made a name for himself with his goal-scoring skills and won the Swiss Super League Rookie of the Year award a few months back. Many top clubs, including Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Manchester United have been tracking Embolo’s progress and have been linked with a move for the powerful striker.

The player was born in Cameroon and moved to Switzerland at the age of 6. Graduating through the ranks at Basel, Embolo has opted to play for his adopted country and made his full debut for the Swiss national side in 2015.

#7 Michy Batshuayi

The young Belgian International plays for Marseille in the French Ligue 1 and has been linked with a move to Arsenal. The 22-year-old striker joined the French team in August 2014 and has since scored 20 league goals in 44 appearances.

The player was eligible to play International football for the DR Congo team through his family roots but opted to represent Belgium – the country of his birth. He has made 2 appearances for the talented Belgian side, and has found the back of the net once in each game.

Marseille have reportedly put a £35 million price tag on Batshuayi, but it may not deter the Gunners from pursuing the player as they look to add more firepower to their attack.

#6 Domenico Berardi

21-year-old Berardi, who plays for Italian Serie A club Sassuolo, has been a long-term target for Juventus and recently been linked with interest from Tottenham while Liverpool have reportedly scouted the player as well.

Berardi made his Sassuolo bow in the Serie B in 2012. He made an instant impact for the team in his debut season to help them gain a first ever promotion to Serie A and was named Serie B’s Best Player for the season. He continued his goal-scoring form in the Serie A where he has scored 33 goals in 68 appearances.

There have been reports of a deal being agreed between Juventus and Sassuolo for the player’s move in the near future, but Berardi’s performances have caught the attention of the English clubs who may be willing to shell out big money to get him to play in the Premier League.

#5 Gabriel Barbosa

The Santos team has exported the likes of Neymar and Robinho to top European sides in recent years, and the next name to be added to the list could probably be the 19-year-old Gabriel Barbosa. Frequently compared to Neymar, some believe that Gabriel has the potential to develop into a player better than the Barcelona forward in the coming years.

Gabriel has scored 42 goals for Santos since the start of the 2014 season and was named as the Best Newcomer in the prestigious Bola de Prata (Silver ball) awards for 2015 in Brazil.

Not surprisingly, Gabriel has been scouted by Barcelona, who might make a move to sign the striker to provide competition to the South American attacking trio of Messi, Suarez & Neymar. Arsenal are another club who have been keeping tabs on the progress of the player.

#4 Kevin Volland

The 23-year-old German international, who plays as a striker or on the wings, has been a key player for Bundesliga club Hoffenheim. After joining the club in 2012 from 1860 Munich, Volland quickly established himself in the side by scoring and creating crucial goals. Earlier this season, he made headlines for scoring the joint fastest Bundesliga goal, when he scored in the 9th second against the mighty Bayern Munich.

Volland won the Silver Boot award in the 2015 European U-21 Championships and has been linked with a move to top clubs in Europe. There have been rumours of interest from Real Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in the past, and many expect that after the big money move of Roberto Firmino to Liverpool in the summer of 2015, Volland is likely to be the next Hoffenheim player to move to a high-profile club.

#3 Paco Alcacer

The 22-year-old Valencia forward has been knocking on the doors of the star-studded Spanish national team for a while and hasn’t disappointed whenever he’s got the chance – with 6 goals from 11 appearances for La Roja.

While the youngster has been a key member of Valencia’s attack – including a tally of 11 goals last season in which the team qualified for Champions League - an indifferent 2015/16 season for Valencia thus far may mean that the club may look to sell Alcacer in an attempt to raise funds to strengthen in other positions.

The player’s contract has a buyout clause of around £60 million and he was rumoured to be in the shopping list for Chelsea for the winter transfer window.

#2 Romelu Lukaku

The 22-year-old Belgian forward was signed by Everton for a club record £28 million in 2014 and is considered among the most promising youngsters in Europe. He recently became the first Everton player in over 60 years to score in 8 consecutive games and has justified the high fees paid by Everton to secure his signature by being central to Everton’s fortunes.

Many felt he didn’t get sufficient chances to prove himself at Chelsea and shouldn’t have been allowed to leave, and after his impressive performances for Everton he is now linked with a move back to his former employers along with French giants Paris Saint-Germain – with a high possibility of the transfer bid being significantly higher than the £28 million paid to take him to Goodison Park.

#1 Harry Kane

22-year-old Harry Kane established himself as a key member of the Tottenham side in the 2014-15 season with 21 league goals. He has continued his rich goal-scoring form in the current season, with a tally of 11 goals so far. His performances for Spurs have ensured that Roy Hodgson couldn’t ignore Kane for the English national team set up, and after making his international debut in 2015, Kane looks set to lead the attack for the side in the coming years.

Real Madrid have signed Luka Modric and Gareth Bale in big money transfer moves in the recent past and have reportedly scouted Kane multiple times. Manchester United have been linked with a big-money move for the striker as they try to find a solution to their goal-scoring woes while Chelsea also have also been rumoured to be interested in signing him.