Everton are in the race to sign Schalke midfielder Assan Ouedraogo, with a £10-15million price tag already being quoted, according to Sky Sports.
The news outlet shared via their transfers live blog on 17 October [11:36] that Liverpool and Brighton are also among several Premier League outfits monitoring his progress.
Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and AC Milan have also been credited with an interest in the 17-year-old who is currently still under a development contract which will be converted to a professional deal when he turns 18.
At just 17 years old, the midfielder has made nine appearances in the Bundesliga2 so far this season, scoring one goal and impressing some of the biggest teams across Europe, and it appears the progress on their interest will move quickly.
AC Milan have already made inquiries about moving him to Italy, while Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig want to bring him to the top of the Bundesliga, and all three named English sides have been scouting his progress.
Whoever lands this deal could be getting a real coup at the highest price of £15million. While it may seem a lot for a 17-year-old who is unproven at the top level, the deal would represent a high sell-on fee which would likely be reached due to the level of interest.
Everton previously have preferred to do deals for players that would improve Sean Dyche’s team immediately, but if the money arrives via the takeover from 777 Partners, a new direction could see young players targeted with a view to making a profit in the future