Signing from Cittadella in Serie B last summer, Christian Kouamé was thrown in at the deep at Genoa by both Davide Ballardini and Ivan Juric, playing in all 38 league games and starting 87% of them.
The 21-year-old enjoyed a decent first season in Italy’s top-tier, scoring four goals and assisting teammates six times, leading a number of clubs to try and buy him after just one season.
Bologna are among those interested, although Gazzetta dello Sport reckon they will face competition by newly promoted Premier League side Sheffield United for his services.
The newspaper only mention “Sheffield” as the ones who ‘want’ the youngster, but we highly doubt it will be Wednesday considering they finished 12th in the Championship and are unlikely to be an appealing enough destination (or have the funds) for a regular Serie A player.
Sheffield United, on the other hand, could use some fresh blood up top, almost exclusively relying on 33-year-old Billy Sharp and 31-year-old David McGoldrick for their goals last season.
Signing someone like Kouamé, who is only 21, makes sense, allowing him to sit behind the two veterans at first if needs be before potentially (if all goes well) becoming a regular starter under Chris Wilder.
Genoa are reportedly asking for €15m for their starlet, meaning the Blades would have to completely destroy their all-time record for a signing, which remains James Beattie from Everton for £5.4m.
They’ll have the money, it just remains to be seen if they want to spend it on Kouamé should their interest be genuine.
