IFK Göteborg’s Oliver Månsson has ended up on Manchester United, Leicester City and Watford‘s transfer radar.
The midfielder’s rapid development at the Swedish club has seen him draw the attention of clubs from top European leagues. Manchester United belong to this category, while Leicester City and Watford are also keeping an eye on him.
Månsson came up through the ranks of Göteborg’s youth system and made his way into their first team in May.
He played 1,452 minutes from 18 matches, contributing two assists. The 17-year-old has mainly operated in his preferred position in the middle of the pitch and occasionally as a defensive midfielder.
His rise also helped him make debut for Sweden U18 earlier this month and made three appearances so far.
Manchester United, Leicester and Watford in mix
Earlier this month, the British press reported Arsenal and Chelsea interest in the young midfielder. On October 19th, Oliver Månsson was asked whether he would pick the Gunners or the Blues.
He said: “Haha, it’s hard to choose. No, I had no idea [about these links]. I saw it on social media like everyone else. So… no, I didn’t know that.”
The Sweden U18 international made an honest admission of his dream to join Barcelona.
For now, the La Liga winners aren’t keen and the clubs that are monitoring him include Manchester United, Leicester City and Watford. In fact, the three English clubs sent their officials to Sweden and Expressen covers the latest.
Scouting mission for Oliver Månsson
The youngster had a ‘big breakthrough this year’ and that hasn’t gone unnoticed across Europe.
Manchester United, Leicester City, Watford, AS Roma and SC Freiburg had their scouts in attendance to watch Oliver Månsson live in action in IFK Göteborg’s 1-1 draw against Djurgårdens IF on Wednesday.
He played the full 90 minutes in his preferred role as a central midfielder. Sam Larsson assisted Nino Zugelj’s opener before Djurgårdens scored the equaliser in the 59th minute.
After the match, Larsson was in full praise of the Swede for his ‘intelligent playing style’.
“Take a look at his little moves in this match, if you like football, you’ll really enjoy it. He makes mature decisions all the time. That’s what really impresses you,” he said.
Månsson won’t be able to move to the UK until he turns 18 years of age in August 2027. However, his English suitors can reach an agreement with his club for him to arrive next summer.
