Xavier Mbuyamba, of second division Dutch club MVV Maastricht, is attracting interest from top sides across Europe, according to Voetbal International.
Celtic, Liverpool, FC Porto and Bayern Munich have their sights on the 17-year-old, while two other Dutch clubs are also after him. So far, the interest from the Scottish Premiership side, the Reds and other clubs has not been concrete.
Chelsea are also keen on signing the defender and he’s set to visit Stamford Bridge as the Blues are ‘very interested’ in the youngster.
The teenager doesn’t hold a professional contract and his idea was to continue with MVV, where he has enjoyed first team football this season. However, the Eerste Divisie side took a long time to make an offer and once they submitted their proposal, the centre-back was made to sit on the bench after he didn’t sign immediately.
It’s clear that Mbuyamba is unlikely to get opportunities to play in the first team if he decides to join any of the big clubs, which is why his agent Carlos Barros believes he wants to find a club which will help in his client’s development.
“The move to professional football is very big. And he is seventeen years old, if he can develop the best there in the youths, that’s the most important thing,” Barros told Voetbal International.
“He would prefer to play somewhere in the first [team], but there are not that many central defenders of his age in the Netherlands get the chance. So, it’s about a choice where he can best develop in the youth.”
“At this moment, Chelsea have the best credentials. We now have to wait and see what his feeling is at that club. We are not quite sure yet what we are going to do, his development is central to that choice.”
Should he prefer a realistic chance of some first team football, then Celtic would look a much better option for the player.
Much will depend on what happens with Chelsea’s transfer ban, and that could allow others, like Celtic and Liverpool, to have a more serious go at the transfer.
His agent explained: “That remains to be seen, even for us. The people at Chelsea look at what is possible. It is not excluded that Mbuyamba may not even be covered by a transfer ban, because he is still an amateur. But that’s guessing.”
