Manchester United are reportedly interested in young Swedish striker Jesper Karlsson, who has been billed as the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has only arrived at Manchester United but has taken to English football like duck to water, as the Swedish veteran has dazzled the United faithful, scoring 4 goals in his first 4 league games for the club.
It seems the United hierarchy has been so impressed by the striker that they are already preparing to sign the player labelled as the next Zlatan by local media in Sweden.
Swedish publication Expressen have reported that United are interested in 18-year-old Jesper Karlsson, a player who currently plies his trade for Falkenburg FF in Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top division.
The attacker has the ability to play as a forward as well as on the wings and has raised eyebrows with his dribbling ability and unpredictable movement.
Fotboll Direkt have reported that they had kept contact with the player’s agent Anders Karlsson and while the agent has declined to comment, the publication spoke to Falkenburg’s Sporting Director Hakan Nilsson, who threw some light on the matter:
Man United send scouts to watch Swedish striker Jesper Karlsson [Expressen] https://t.co/jRpxR7Yv3P pic.twitter.com/hlBt1LiF3z
— 101 Great Goals (@101greatgoals) September 12, 2016
Nilsson acknowledged that the club had received inquiries and offers from a few clubs, which he chose not to mention, but that the player is focused on his career with the club at the moment.
The sporting director, though, added that the club does understand a player’s need to move to a bigger club in order to grow and that the club are unlikely to stand in way of a potential future transfer surrounding any player, including Jesper. Although, he added that it is essential for the club to receive appropriate compensation or transfer fee in return for the player.
Fotboll Direkt also claimed that there were other clubs vying for the player’s signature, with the likes of Ajax, Feyenoord and Sunderland named as potential suitors alongside United.
The player currently has 27 months remaining on his contract at Falkenburg and the report claims that a fee of around €6m to €8m would be necessary to persuade Falkenburg into letting go of their prized asset.
Manchester United have reportedly sent a scout to monitor the teenager’s progress and may decide to go in with a real offer to secure an early deal for the exciting young prospect before other top European clubs get involved.
