Manchester City are reportedly lining up a swoop for RSC Anderlecht’s 15-year-old prospect Rayane Bounida, who is also being pursued by AFC Ajax.
According to a report from Voetbal24, RSC Anderlecht’s teenage prodigy Rayane Bounida is already turning a lot of heads despite being just 15-year-old. The attacking midfielder has emerged as a transfer target for Premier League champions Manchester City and Dutch Eredivisie champions AFC Ajax this summer.
Bounida started out at the academy of K.F.C Vilvoorde and spent time with OH Leuven as well before making his way to the Anderlecht youth setup and has made a huge impression in his burgeoning career in youth football.
Bounida, playing for Anderlecht’s Under-16 team in a practice game against the Under-18 side of Club Liege, scored three goals, helping his team to a 5-1 thrashing. These sort of performances and the potential that he has shown, have landed him on the radars of one of the biggest clubs in England in Manchester City.
The Cityzens, known for their lavish spending at the senior level, also have a world class youth facility with an Elite Development Squad filled with some top talents like Tommy Doyle, Liam Delap, who are knocking on the first-team doors at the Etihad Stadium while Phil Foden is a household name now, having come through the youth ranks at Manchester City.
So, while they continue to splash the cash willy-nilly to strengthen their first-team, most recently signing Jack Grealish for a British record transfer fee of £100 million, Manchester City also remain on the lookout to add the brightest young talent to their academy ranks.
Bounida, to that end, has emerged as a target with an eye on the future, although the Sky Blues are set to face competition in the youngster’s pursuit from Ajax. The report claims that the 15-year-old has already been on a tour to the Amsterdam club.
However, it is also stated that, as things stand, the talented attacking midfield starlet has no desires of securing a transfer away from Anderlecht, while the Belgian outfit too are intent on keeping hold of him. So, both Manchester City and Ajax might have to wait for a little while longer before they can try to secure the services of Bounida.
